Have you ever tried baked clams? These naturally salty seafood items are usually served in Italian restaurants. Little did we know, cooking clams can be easily done in our own kitchens. You can also incorporate them with your favorite carbonara, or paella.
In today’s recipe, we’re going to make these mouthwatering stuffed clams. It will definitely make you love seafood dishes even more. This fusion of fresh seawater clams and cheesy bread crumbs stuffing will make a perfect dinner.
What’s In Our Baked Clams?
Baked clams make a delicious appetizer. They are cooked by baking the clam shells into a broiler until they pop open. The stuffing is made out of bread crumbs, garlic, and parmesan cheese.
In addition, we recommend that you serve these cheesy clams with a lemon wedge for a citrusy squeeze on the side. The tanginess of the lemons blends well with the fresh and salty taste of clams, and garlicky stuffing.
How To Make Cheese-Stuffed Clams
So, if you found this recipe intimidating, here are some tips that can help you get started of. You can never go wrong with this baked clams recipe, it’s the perfect dish to serve your dinner guests.
- Firstly, choose the right type of clams. Â You can use little neck clams also known as hard clams. These round clams are usually served in a cold platter, with crushed ice and lemon. Their small and tender meat is perfect for boiled and baking.Â
- Then, clean the clams. These are seawater creatures are mostly submerged with stones, soil, and sand. So, make sure they are sand-free, clean, and soaked in cold water for 20 minutes to remove all the dirt away.
- Also, shuck the clams. Place your calms in the freezer for 20 minutes before opening its shells. Upon bringing it to room temperature, the clams would slightly open. From there, use a knife to cut into the shell.
- Then, make a wet sand-like stuffing. Achieve a sand-like mixture to top on your clams, consisting of the rest of the ingredients. Generously add salt and pepper to add some flavor to your mild-tasting clams.
- Finally, stuff the clams. Top each of your clams with a heaping spoonful of these generously seasoned crumbs. The cheesy and garlicky flavor of the stuffing will blend well with the salty taste of the clams.
- Lastly, serve them with lemon wedges. Lemon wedges will take your slurp to a whole other level. This additional squeezing over will add a sour taste to the clams enhancing its mild seawater taste.
How To Make Fresh and Easy Baked Clams
These easy-to-bake stuffed clams will be your new favorite seafood dish. Its fresh and salty meat goes perfectly well with cheesy breadcrumbs stuffing.
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 cup bread crumbs, preferably homemade
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper , to taste
- 36 pcs small clams, shucked, 36 half shells reserved
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 6 tbsp butter, melted
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
Instructions
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Place your clams in a container with clean water. Soak them for 20 minutes.
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Shuck the clams by using a knife to cut the shells in half.
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Combine garlic, bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
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Coarsely chop the clams and combine with the lemon juice in a separate bowl.
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Place the clam shells on a baking sheet and divide the chopped clams between them. You can use a thin bed of rock salt to stabilize the shells if needed.
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Top with the bread crumb mixture and drizzle with the butter.
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Cook under a preheated broiler until the topping is golden brown and the clams are bubbling, for about 2 minutes.
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Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.
Nutrition
- Calcium: 96mg
- Calories: 260kcal
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Cholesterol: 5mg
- Fat: 20g
- Fiber: 1g
- Iron: 1mg
- Potassium: 75mg
- Protein: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Sodium: 369mg
- Sugar: 1g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Vitamin A: 762IU
- Vitamin C: 6mg
Ingredients You Need
Commonly Asked Questions
How to store baked clams?
Your cooked clams can be stored in the refrigerator as long as they’re covered in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days.
How to reheat baked clams?
To reheat your baked clams, put them in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. Serve with lemon wedges and enjoy!
Conclusion
You don’t need to go to a fancy Italian restaurant just to satisfy your seafood cravings. With this baked clams recipe, you can easily recreate your own cheese-stuffed clams at home. It’s simple, it’s easy to prepare and it will definitely fill you up. Serve this with lemon wedges on the side and enjoy.
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