Lemon Pesto Baked Clams
Many traditional east-coast stuffied clam recipes (aka “stuffie” recipes) involve heavier ingredients like bacon and larger quahog clams (chowders or cherrystones) that have been finely chopped or ground before being returned to their shells to bake. This recipe uses younger, more tender clams and a garlic-free pesto for a lighter yet still delightful result that lets the clams’ sweet flavor shine through.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup Fresh Basil
- 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley
- 1/3 cup Pecorino Cheese, finely grated
- ¼ cup of Pine Nuts
- ¼+ cup High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Live Mahogany Clams or Live Topneck Clams (Quahogs)
- Breadcrumbs (how to make homemade breadcrumbs)
- Lemon Juice to taste
- Salt to taste
- Lemon Zest for garnish
DIRECTIONS
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Make a bed of kosher salt in a shallow baking pan (enough to hold the clams securely upright) and lay in the open clams. Leave a little room around each clam.
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In a blender combine the pine nuts, basil leaves, parsley, ¼ cup of olive oil and pecorino cheese. Drizzle in additional olive oil as needed until a smooth emulsion is formed. Taste for seasoning & add salt & lemon juice to taste. Blend again to combine.
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Top each clam with a layer of pesto, just enough to cover the meat. Then top the pesto with a layer of breadcrumbs.
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