My Sunday was quite lovely…
- considering the fact that it consisted of wonderful company, a great (yet cheap) bottle of Cab, the best homemade bruschetta, and my favorite dish that I’ve mastered (cuz it’s so easy 
)
RheeRhee’s Famous Drunken Clams
- Live Manila Clams (my favorite spot without blowing my wallet is heading to the local Chinese grocery store)
- 1 tsp of crushed red pepper
- 3 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 – 1 stick of butter (depending on how many lbs of clams)
- 1 whole garlic, peeled, crushed, then chopped
- handful of fresh Italian Parsley- chopped
- 1 whole lemon
- 1 bottle of white wine (Savignon Blanc but your preference!)
- Large pot w/a lid *needed for steaming
How to pick out fresh clams: This is the most time consuming process but make sure you avoid the dead or bad ones. I can tell by checking each clam that the shell is tightly closed. To store the clams, I rinse them in super cold water, getting rid of the sliminess of the shells and extra dirt. If you’re not cooking for a few hours, keep them in a bowl of water and stick it in the fridge til you’re ready to start.
Create the base by melting the butter, crushed red pepper, and garlic for about 10 minutes. Don’t forget the olive oil. I know it’s fatty fatty with all that butter but it prevents the butter and garlic from burning. Throw in half the chopped parsley to create more flavor for the broth. After the base boils and the garlic looks tender, time to open that wine! Please taste it to make sure it’s something you’ll actually drink. Believe it or not, even through all that cooking, it’s important not to use crappy wine – it can totally ruin your dish! Squeeze in half a lemon – depending on how citrusy you like your clams to be.
Bring the broth to a boil for another 10-15 minutes or so. The longer the better because it helps evaporate the alcoholic taste. Next, carefully add in the clams. It’s important not to throw them in cuz that causes cracked clams!! They’re fragile I like to carefully mix them around to ensure the broth is well coated with the clams. It doesn’t have to cover all your clams. Cover with a lid to start steaming the clams. This literally takes no longer than 3 minutes!! As soon as the clams start to open, mix them around and cover to cook for a few more minutes. I personally hate overcooked clams because they taste grainy and mushy. I like that slight chewiness and softness so less is more!
As soon as you like the texture of the clams, remove from heat and add in rest of the fresh parsley. Garnish with parsley springs and lemon wedges. You can also make some linguine to toss them in or toasted bread is divine when dipped into the broth. bon apetite!
