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Easiest way to make steamed clams is to put a bunch of clams
in a bowl, and heat the bowl in the microwave until the shells pop
open. Eight cherrystones usually take about eight minutes. Make
sure the clams are thoroughly rinsed before cooking. Save the
juice at the bottom of the bowl for making clam sauce or
chow-duh, or just drink it. You can pour it slowly from one
container to another to eliminate most of the the sand, or pour it
through a cloth or paper filter. Traditionalists dip steamed clams
in melted butter. I like melted butter, AND cocktail sauce.
Michael & Marilyn's Famous Clam Sauce
(with steamed clam bonus)

We tried making clam sauce at home, and
got terrible results for years and almost gave
up. We had been using canned clams and
the juice that came in the clam can, and then
I had an inspiration -- I threw out the canned
juice, and substituted the juice that came
from the clams that I had just nuked. It was
heavenly. Here's the recipe:

  1. Get two dozen fresh littleneck clams,
    (roughly 2.5 - 3" in diameter). You can
    keep them in the fridge for a couple of
    days before use.
  2. Put a big pot in your sink. Start filling it
    with cold water, and put the clams in
    the pot, one by one. If any of the
    clams have opened, tap lightly on the
    shell. If the clam doesn't close, throw it
    out.
  3. Every  10 - 15 minutes, dump the
    water out, and fill again. Continue this
    rinse cycle for an hour or more. The
    more you rinse, the less sand in the
    clams.
  4. Take out enough clams to fill a
    microwavable bowl. Hold each one
    under running water and rub off any
    clinging dirt. Put them in the bowl,
    without any clam on top of another.
  5. Steam the clams in your microwave, as
    described above. Save the juice. You
    can freeze it if you're not making the
    sauce right away.
  6. Chop up a huge onion, and two big
    garlics.
  7. Pour olive oil into a large skillet (one of
    those things that used to be called a
    frying pan.) Let it get about a half-inch
    deep.
  8. When the oil is hot, carefully dump in
    the chopped onions and garlic, and
    spread it around. Add about a half-
    stick of butter, maybe three
    tablespoons of oregano, and, if you
    feel like it, red or white pepper and
    maybe some parsley. Stir every few
    minutes, for approx. ten minutes.
  9. When the onions have gotten a little
    bit browned, carefully dump in the
    clams (BUT NOT THE JUICE) from four
    cans of chopped clams, or a quart of
    fresh chopped clams, if you can get
    them.
  10. Add the juice from the clams you
    cooked in the microwave.
  11. Add 4 - 6 ounces of dry white wine.
  12. Stir every few minutes, as the mixture
    simmers.
  13. Cook your linguini, and pour on the
    sauce.
  14. MANGIA! (eat!)
  15. Any sauce left in your plate should be
    sopped up with Italian bread (stale is
    OK), or added to clam chowder.
Michael's Attempt to Copy Whitey's
Special Clams

When I can't get to Guilford, and in the off-
season when The Place is closed, I satisfy my
craving with my own imitation of the famous
Whitey's specials:


  1. Rinse four or five dozen large littleneck
    or small cherrystone clams (2 - 2.5" in
    diameter).
  2. Put a big pot in your sink. Start filling it
    with cold water, and put the clams in
    the pot, one by one. If any of the clams
    have opened, tap lightly on the shell. If
    the clam doesn't close, throw it out.
  3. Every  10 - 15 minutes, dump the water
    out, and fill again. Continue this rinse
    cycle for an hour or more. The more
    you rinse, the less sand in the clams.
  4. Put as many as will fit on your
    barbecue grill, with medium heat and
    the cover down, if you have a cover.
  5. Periodically raise the cover, and
    remove clams as they pop open. Put
    them in a bowl or pot that can collect
    the juices.
  6. When the opened clams have cooled
    enough to handle comfortably, rip off
    the part of the shell that doesn't hold
    the clam body, and throw it away, or
    make it into jewelry.
  7. Put a blob of cocktail sauce, and a dab
    of butter or margarine, and maybe
    some lemon juice, onto each clam in its
    shell. Put it back on the grill.
  8. When a clam starts to sizzle, take it off
    the grill, and eat it.
  9. Amateurs will safely use forks. Pros will
    want to slurp, but be careful not to burn
    your lips on the hot shells.
  10. If it's snowing really hard, use your
    oven instead of your barbecue grill.


WeLoveClams.com                   Michael N. Marcus, Clam Master