Island Creek Littleneck Clams Recipe

Purge & Clean

Rinse the littleneck clams under cold running water. Discard any clams with cracked shells or those that remain open when tapped. If clams are sandy, place them in a large bowl with cold salted water (about 2 tablespoons kosher salt per quart) for 20–30 minutes to purge grit, then lift them out and rinse; do not stir the sand back into the bowl.

In a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid (large enough to hold clams in a single or slightly overlapping layer), combine the white wine, chicken or shellfish stock, 1/4 cup of the garlic confit oil (see Garlic Confit & Oil section) or reserved oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Add the cleaned clams, cover the pan, and steam for 5–7 minutes, shaking the pan once after 3 minutes. Continue cooking until clams open — most will open within 6–8 minutes. Discard any clams that remain closed after 10 minutes. If the pan becomes dry before clams open, add up to 1/4 cup water and re-cover.

Once clams are open, transfer them with tongs to a warmed serving bowl, reserving the cooking liquid in the skillet.

Make Garlic Confit

Place the peeled garlic cloves, olive oil, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan in a single layer. Warm gently over the lowest heat setting until the oil barely simmers and small bubbles form around the cloves (120–140°C is not required — keep it low). Cook gently for 25–35 minutes, until the garlic is tender and pale golden but not browned. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove and discard thyme stems and bay leaf. Reserve garlic confit cloves and strained oil separately. (You will use some confit oil in the clam broth and some to make chile oil.)

Prepare Chile Oil

In a small heatproof bowl, combine the neutral oil, crushed dried chiles, smoked paprika, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Warm briefly: either microwave for 20–25 seconds until just warm (not smoking) or heat the oil gently in a small saucepan until just warm and pour it over the chili mixture. Let steep for 5 minutes, then strain if desired for a clear oil, or keep flakes for texture. Reserve about 1–2 teaspoons for drizzling over finished clams and 1 tablespoon to stir into the reserved cooking liquid if desired.

Return the reserved clam cooking liquid to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Stir in the unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon of the garlic confit oil (or some of the flavored oil from the confit) to enrich the broth. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and taste; adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Pour the hot buttered broth over the bowl of cooked clams. Scatter several garlic confit cloves among the clams (torn or sliced if large) and sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top.

Drizzle the prepared chile oil over the clams and broth — use about 1–2 teaspoons per serving or to taste. Finish with an extra squeeze of lemon and serve immediately with toasted bread or crostini to soak up the broth.

To store: leftover garlic confit (submerged in oil) will keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Leftover cooked clams should be eaten same day; reserve broth separately and refrigerate up to 48 hours.