clam juice

"Hello Gorgeous!" Spicy Turmeric & Habanero Clam Linguine

06 Dec 2011
clams with linguine and habanero

It's easy to cook clams. Heat them in a flavorful broth a few minutes, then watch them pop open their shells and say "Hello Gorgeous!"

That's my favorite line from Funny Girl. Though I don't think Barbra Streisand's Ms. Brice meant clams– or shellfish for that matter. Still I impersonate her tonality whenever faced with a big bowl of steaming clams. "Hello Gorgeous!"

You wouldn't think of clams as gorgeous at first glance. And that's my point. Clams are sweet. Clams are briny. Doesn't that seem like an oxymoron?

But it may be these two opposing forces that make clams so unexpectedly sure of themselves. It gives them the Fanny Brice style self-esteem to unabashedly mingle with all sorts of partners. One of the boldest combinations I can think of is turmeric and roasted garlic. Turmeric and roasted garlic are great place to start for most any shellfish. Trust me. It's a fact.

But habanero, turmeric and roasted garlic is really something to look at! Add stunningly fresh shellfish to this trio and you too will be quoting Funny Girl. So come on. Bring a large pot of this flavorful combination to a boil. Add clams and cover the pot. Lower the heat and shake a few times while they simmer. In less than 8 minutes the shells should have opened and the shellfish will be fragrant and cooked to perfection. Toss with linguine... "Hello Gorgeous!"

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Spicy Turmeric & Habanero Clam Linguine

Spicy Turmeric & Habanero Clam Linguine
By jgreghenry Published December 6, 2011
Prep time: 60
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 8 clv garlic, unpeeled
  • 2 T kosher salt, plus more as seasoning as needed
  • 1 lb dried linguine
  • 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
  • 0.5 t ground turmeric
  • 1 habanero, seeded & minced, plus more for garnish if desired
  • 2 c packed whole basil leaves plus 1/2 cup chopped basil
  • 1 T coarsely cracked black pepper
  • 0.25 c gin
  • 1 c bottled clam juice
  • 48 littleneck clams, scrubbed
  • 1 lime, zest only
  • 2 T fresh lime juice
  • 4 T unsalted butter
  • 0.5 t turmeric

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Loosely wrap the garlic cloves in foil and bake for about 25 minutes, until very soft. Peel the garlic. Set aside.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt. Drop the pasta into the boiling water, stir to separate and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Reserving the empty pot to use later.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the garlic, turmeric and minced habanero and cook over moderate heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add the whole basil leaves, black pepper, gin and clam juice, cover and cook over low heat until the liquid has reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Strain the reduction into the large large pot you boiled the linguine in, pressing on the solids.

Bring the strained liquid to a boil. Add the clams, cover and cook, shaking the pot a few times, until they start to open, 3 minutes; as the clams open, transfer them to a bowl and keep covered. When all of the clams have opened, boil the broth over high heat until reduced to about 2 cups of clam broth, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime zest and lime juice.

Add the cooked linguine to the pot with the reduced clam broth and toss to coat. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated into the sauce. Transfer the pasta to the pot, stirring to combine. Turn the pasta out onto a serving bowl. Top with the clams, chopped basil and additional minced habernero if desired. Serve warm with lime wedges on the side.

Source: Adapted from Zakary Pelaccio

Geoduck Fritters with a Sweet & Sour Chili Dipping Sauce

19 Apr 2011
Geoduck Fritters with a Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

Geoduck Fritter with Sweet Chili Sauce

Sure a geoduck is a clam, an ugly clam with (let’s face it) a very phallic looking trunk that it projects from its shell in search of food.

But did you know that a geoduck could also be a fritter? Of course just about anything can be a fritter. But a geoduck makes a particularly tasty fritter. Especially when that fritter is designed to compliment the geoduck’s best feature. Its very special texture.

But let me backtrack.

You may have seen some tweets and twitpics from a recent day in my kitchen. Three bloggers and I got together to help I Love Blue Sea get its message out about delicious sustainable seafood. We did this by making cooking videos featuring all sorts of the high-quality seafood I Love Blue Sea sells.

My cohorts were Show Food Chef, Sushi Day and La Fuji Mama– each one worthy of the title culinary star. The videos and the recipes we showcased will be available at I Love Blue Sea soon. So I can’t divulge too much information.

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Geoduck Fritters with Sweet Chili Sauce

Geoduck Fritters with Sweet Chili Sauce
By jgreghenry Published April 19, 2011
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 6 T rice vinegar
  • 4 T water
  • 3 T sugar
  • 1 t garlic, peeled & minced
  • 0.5 t thai bird chile, seeded & minced (or more to taste)
  • 0.25 t salt
  • 3 c all-purpose flour
  • 4 t baking powder
  • 2 T orange mint, thai basil or regular mint
  • 1 T lemongrass, white tender parts only, minced
  • 1 T fresh ginger, minced
  • 0.5 t shichimi togarashi
  • 1 c clam juice
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1.5 c milk
  • 1 geoduck clam, cleaned, prepped and very thinly sliced
  • 0 oil as needed for frying
  • 0 kosher salt, to taste
  • 0 lemon wedges, to taste

Directions

Prepare the sweet chili sauce sauce: In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, minced bird's eye chili, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, then simmer until liquid is reduced just slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir sauce from time to time. Remove from heat and allow to cool before use. Prepare the fryer: Use a deep-fryer filled with oil according to manufacturer specifications. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Alternately, fill a large stockpot 1/3 full with oil and heat it to 350 degrees F. Prepare the batter: Stack the orange mint leaves, then roll them cigar-style and slice crosswise into thin strips. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, orange mint strips (or substitute), lemongrass, ginger, shichimi togarashi, clam juice and eggs. Add the milk a few tablespoons at a time until thick cake batter consistency is achieved. Add the geoduck slices and stir to combine thoroughly. Gently drop tablespoons of fritter batter into oil and cook, turning over often until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes. Do not crowd the fryer. Work in batches. Remove with a wire strainer to a paper towel-lined plate. Season immediately with kosher salt and additional shichimi togarashi. Arrange fritters on a platter, garnish with a squeeze of lemon and more mint leaves. Serve with bowl of sweet chile sauce on the side for dipping.

Notes:

serves 8 or more

A Mighty Special Mac with Mascarpone, Fontina and Lobster

26 Jan 2011
Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

Ok. It’s time to take a culinary exhale. Because after the frenzy of holiday cooking we have all been through I feel it’s time to get back to basics. Something comforting and familiar. Something that just makes you want to cuddle up with the one you love. Something like Mac & Cheese!

In fact a simple dish like Macaroni and Cheese is exactly what I am craving. But simple can be elegant and it can be creative. So I have decided to take old-fashioned Macaroni and Cheese, and rev it up a notch. First I plan to use the very best cheese I can get from Wisconsin. And while yummy yellow cheddar makes a great Mac & Cheese, I have another idea in mind.

I think I’ll add chunks of lobster, as well as creamy mascarpone. It's more seafood friendly than cheddar. Besides, this combination really helps this familiar, everyday food assume the comfort and luxury of cashmere!

To put my plan in motion I turned to my cookbooks for guidance. But none of the recipes came close to my fantasy of what the dish should be. I wanted chewy pasta suspended in molten cheese, with a chewy, golden-brown cheesy crust on top. And plenty of perfectly cooked lobster tail. I guess I'll need to develop my own recipe.

One of the best recipes I have ever used for Mac & Cheese comes from Martha Stewart. She starts with a flour-based roux and adds cheese. She calls it Macaroni and Cheese 101. And I gotta admit it’s pretty close to perfection. Except one thing. It relies on cheddar. Now I love cheddar, but feel it may be a bit strong with the delicate flavor and texture of lobster.

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