Looks Delic
My family (my kids especially) LOVES clams. They don’t need any fancy broth on them, which means no need for chopping veggies or gathering lots of ingredients. They don’t even require melting butter for dipping. It doesn’t get much easier than these simple steamed clams in white wine and garlic.
Clams are easy to come by for us because we live on Long Island. Lots of people even just walk down to the bay, wiggle their toes into the sand and can come up with about a dozen clams in 10 minutes.
If you don’t live by the water though, your local seafood market or even supermarket should carry clams year round. They come in lots of sizes but as a rule of thumb, the smaller they are, the better.
These steamed clams in white wine and garlic are super simple to make once you have the clams. Only 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to make this healthy, fresh from the sea dinner.
About the Ingredients
Clams – Clams come in lots of different sizes. Typically, the larger the clam is, the chewier the meat will be. That is because of the age of the clam and because it takes a little longer to cook. Because we want tender clams, little neck clams are the best for this recipe. They are nice and small and make for a perfect single bite.
Minced garlic
Chicken stock
White wine – any white wine will work. If you are trying to pick out a bottle specific for this recipe though I’d go with a Sauvignon Blanc such as the Oyster Bay wine. A dry, sweet, acidic wine works perfectly.
How to Make Clams in White Wine and Garlic
In a large stock pot heat some olive oil (about one swirl of the pan). Once it is hot, sauté the minced garlic for about 30 seconds.
Now add about 1 cup of chicken stock and 1/4 cup of white wine. When the broth comes to a rapid boil, add all of the clams and put the lid on the pot. As the clams open they are done and ready to eat. Cooking just doesn’t get any simpler than that.
FAQs and Recipe Tips
Don’t eat them. This happens occasionally and there’s no way around it. The other clams, the ones that did open during cooking, are perfectly safe to eat. Don’t try to pry the closed ones open though, just discard them.
Submerge your clams in some water (if you have natural salt water like they came from that is the best but a little fresh water will be fine too.) Place them in a bowl or bucket, cover them with cold water and let them sit for about 30 minutes. They will spit out any sand on their own!
Steaming clams is much better than boiling them if you’re planning to eat them whole. Steaming is a gentler cooking method resulting in more tender meat. Boiling them can quickly overcook the clams causing them to become a little tough. If you’re planning to mince the clams and use them that way than boiling is fine.
Steam them in their shells and keep a close eye on them. You want to remove them from the heat as soon as they are cooked so as to avoid over cooking them, which results in less tender meat. As soon as the clam shell opens pull the clams out of the pot.
The Recipe for Clams in White Wine and Garlic
The recipe is attached below for easy downloading and printing. If you test it out be sure to leave a note in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you thought and if you tried a different vegetable combination. Enjoy!
Clams in White Wine and Garlic
Ingredients
- 3 dozen little neck clams
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Check your clams for any that might already be open and discard them.3 dozen little neck clams
- Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large stock pot.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant.2 tbsp minced garlic
- Add the chicken stock and white wine and bring to a boil.1 cup chicken stock, ¼ cup white wine
- Drop in all the clams and cover the pot with a lid.
- As the clams open they are ready so pull them out. *Some will open before others but don’t leave the open ones in the pot too long because they’ll get chewy. Any clams that don’t open on their own need to be discarded.
