Sunday, May 29, 2011

Clams "Steamers" in White Wine - Chicken Broth with Shallots and Parsley


This weekend I went to Oregon Coast to Cannon Beach and Seaside. I love going to the ocean and letting my dog run around off the leash. Walking on a beach is so relaxing. But of course no trip is complete without some fantastic food!!! And this trip was no exception. The highlight was stopping at a store that looks like a small "crab shack" - One of those "hole in a wall" places.

The place is called Bell Buoy and is located in Seaside, OR. They have a Web site so you can check them out. In short, I have been coming here over the years every time I visit Oregon Coast and bought smoked salmon, sturgeon, black cod and others. Next to the store they have a restaurant, which in my mind serves the best deep fried prawns ever! They are juicy, moist, batter is light and not greasy.

I bought 2 lbs of fresh clams and some fresh crab from Bell Buoy and made a nice dinner when I got home tonight. The picture above shows the clams that I steamed in white wine - chicken broth with shallots and parsley. The recipe is below and is very easy.



Ingredients:

2 lbs of fresh clams
2 cups of chicken stock/broth
1/4 cup of white wine
1 large minced shallot
1 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Over medium-high heat melt butter in a large cooking pan. Add shallots and cook them until golden. 2 or 3 minutes.


Add white wine and chicken broth to the pan and bring to boil. Boil the stock for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. The next step is to add clams and cover them. Cook with the lid on until all clams have opened up (4-5 minutes). Clams now are ready to serve. Sprinkle them with parsley and serve with some fresh bread for dipping into the broth, which is very tasty!


As an appetizer I served fresh crab with cocktail sauce! I am so happy there are places like Bell Buoy!