Grilled Clams With Smoked Chili Cachucha Mojo And Bacon Recipes

GRILLED CLAMS ON THE HALF SHELL WITH BACON, GARLIC, AND HOT PEPPER

Steps:

• Preheat grill to high.
• Place a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until lightly golden brown. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and continue cooking until the bacon is crisp. Remove from the heat, stir in the olive oil, parsley, and bread crumbs and season with black pepper, to taste.
• Top clams with bacon mixture and place on the grill. Grill for about 1 minute or until just cooked through. Serve immediately.

LINGUINE WITH GRILLED CLAMS AND BACON

Steps:

• Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over hot charcoal (high heat for gas), leaving about one third of grill free of coals (or, for a gas grill, shutting off one or two burners); see Grilling Procedure .
• Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Stir together oil, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and lemon juice in foil pan and put on grill over area with no coals.
• Grill clams on grill rack over coals, turning with tongs, until they open, 3 to 7 minutes, transferring as opened to foil pan and being careful not to spill their juices. (Discard any clams that remain unopened after 7 minutes.)
• Cook linguine in a pasta pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente, then drain.
• Toss pasta with bacon, parsley, contents of foil pan, and salt and pepper to taste.

EASY GRILLED CLAMS

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for very high heat.
• Tap any open clams; if they stay open, throw them out. Place the closed clams on the grill grate. Grill, covered, until the clams open, about 2 minutes. Carefully transfer all the opened clams to a bowl; throw out any clams that remain closed. Be careful not to lose any of the liquid in the shells-that's where the flavor is.

GRILLED CLAMS WITH GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat a grill or Great Grates over medium heat.
• Scrub and rinse the clams. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat until it is foamy. Add the garlic and saute, stirring, until it is fragrant but does not color, about 30 seconds. Add the white wine and heavy cream, increase the heat to medium-high and reduce by half, about 8 minutes. Add the remaining butter 1 piece at a time, whisking constantly, until the sauce is shiny, emulsified, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the chives and season with salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm until ready to serve.
• Set up the littleneck clams on the grill or Great Grates or place them directly on the grill. Cook the clams without turning them. As soon as the clams pop open, after 8 to 10 minutes, transfer them carefully with tongs to a platter (or plates) of rock salt. If you are using a Great Grate, this won't be necessary. Use the tongs to pry off the top shells. Spoon 1 teaspoon sauce over each clam and serve immediately.

CLAM AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Bring 4 cups water and the vermouth to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the clams, cover and cook until they start opening, 4 to 10 minutes; as the clams open, transfer them to a bowl using tongs. (Discard any unopened clams.) Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl; set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon starts to crisp, about 7 minutes. Add the spring onions, sliced celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 7 minutes.
• Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables in the pan; cook, stirring, until incorporated, about 1 minute. Slowly add the reserved clam cooking liquid, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the clams to the saucepan (remove from the shells and chop, if desired); add the peas. Cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the half-and-half. Top with celery leaves and serve with the baguette.

GRILLED CLAMS WITH LEMON-CAYENNE BUTTER

Steps:

• Using a mortar and pestle, or on a cutting board using flat part of a knife, mash together garlic and salt until a paste forms. Scrape paste into a small bowl and stir in butter, lemon juice and cayenne. Taste and make sure salt and lemon are balanced.
• Preheat grill. Place clams directly on grill grate or on a large baking pan in a single layer. Cover grill and let clams cook for 2 minutes. Open grill and check clams, using tongs to remove any that have opened, and transfer them to a large bowl. Be careful not to spill clams' juices when transferring them. Close grill lid and check every 30 seconds, removing clams as they open.
• Pour lemon-cayenne butter over clam bowl and toss lightly. Serve hot, garnished with chives.