Steamed Clams meets Moules Marinière meets Shrimp Scampi in this abundant, messy, garlicky, briny tumble of shellfish. This is a roll-up-your-sleeves, tuck-in-a-bib affair, no cutlery necessary, just grab the extra napkins and another bottle of crisp, cold wine.
Each of the three types of shellfish brings something unique to this party. The shrimp are firm and sweet, the mussels creamy and mild, the clams chewy and sea-water salty. As you free each piece from its shell, dunk it in the warm, buttery, wine-scented broth.
For a main dish, divide the shellfish among large shallow bowls, ladle the broth over the top, and serve with a piece of garlic bread tucked into the side of each bowl. This dish also makes a fantastic appetizer: dump all the seafood into a huge serving bowl at the center of the table, with broth on the side for dipping and the garlic bread – sliced into thin, dunk-able strips – in a basket nearby.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Don’t make this ahead – serve it hot out of the pot.
- If you have leftovers, be sure to save the broth, too. Remove all the seafood from its shells and briefly reheat it the broth, then serve it over pasta.
To see this dish as part of a delicious, high-summer, Italian-themed menu, visit the post for Saturday July 18, 2020.
Steamed Clams, Mussels and Shrimp in Garlic Butter Broth
As always with shellfish, only cook clams and mussels that are alive. Discard any with shells that are not tightly closed before cooking.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic (2 or 3 large cloves)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Four ciabatta rolls, or four 3-inch long pieces cut from a loaf of ciabatta bread
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup bottled clam juice (one 8-ounce bottle)
- 24 littleneck clams, scrubbed
- 1 pound of mussels (about 25), scrubbed
- 1 pound of jumbo shrimp (8-12 count size), deveined but with shells and tails on
- ½ cup minced fresh parsley
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oven to 400 degrees on the Roast setting. Line a baking sheet with foil. Cut the ciabatta rolls (or the lengths cut from the loaf) in half through their thickness into a top and bottom and place them cut side up on the baking sheet.
- Step 2 Meanwhile, heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and 4 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter is melted, add the minced garlic and the crushed red pepper, and cook for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant.
- Step 3 Take each piece of ciabatta and quickly smush it into the garlic butter, cut slide down, so the cut side gets painted the garlic butter. Use a knife to flick any large pieces of garlic back into the pot – it’s OK if a few tiny pieces stay clinging to the bread. Return the bread pieces cut side up to the baking sheet and set them aside.
- Step 4 Return the pot to the heat and add the wine. Raise the heat to medium high and bring the wine to a boil. Boil the wine until it’s reduced to a few tablespoons, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 5 Add the clam juice and bring it to a simmer. As soon as the liquid is simmering, add the clams and mussels to the pot and cover it. Reduce the heat to medium.
- Step 6 Slide the baking sheet with the ciabatta toasts into the oven.
- Step 7 Steam the clams and mussels, covered. Start checking the pot after about 5 minutes, and remove any pieces that have opened, using tongs, and transfer them to a large bowl, then recover the pot. Cover the bowl with a piece of foil to keep the shellfish warm. Keep steaming, checking frequently, until all the shellfish has opened. If you have a couple of stubborn stragglers at the end, give them one more minute with the lid on and if they’re still not open, discard them.
- Step 8 Check on the ciabatta toasts. If they’re crusty and toasted to a deep golden brown, remove them from the oven and cover the baking sheet loosely with another piece of foil to keep them warm. If they need a little more time, leave them in the oven while you cook the shrimp.
- Step 9 Toss the shrimp into the broth. Lower the heat to medium. Gently poach the shrimp at a low simmer, uncovered, turning occasionally until both sides are deep pink and the shrimp have curved into a C shape, 3 to 4 minutes. They’re done when you can no longer see any trace of raw blue-ish color through the shells. Don’t overcook them. When they’re done, remove the shrimp to the bowl with the other shellfish and cover with foil.
- Step 10 Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the broth and swirl the pot until the butter melts and the sauce is smooth.
- Step 11 Arrange all the shellfish in a large serving bowl or divide it evenly among 4 individual, wide, shallow bowls. Ladle the broth over the shellfish. Sprinkle with parsley and tuck a few lemon wedges in here and there. Nestle a slice of the garlic toast into the side of each bowl, and serve the remaining bread separately.
