Today is Mother’s Day, and for me that means mom’s clam chowder. Not only is it a wonderful chowder, but it’s also a bowl full of memories.
clams and mussels
Greek Fried Mussels
Fried mussels done Greek style, with Mediterranean spices in the flour and served with garlicky skordalia dipping sauce.
Linguine with White Clam Sauce
Growing up in New Jersey, this classic Italian-American pasta dish was one of my favorites: Linguini or spaghetti with white clam sauce. Clams, herbs, olive oil and lotsa garlic! I make this normally with West Coast littleneck clams, but lots of different clams will work.
Spicy Spanish Clams
Clams steamed in a spicy Spanish tomato sauce. This dish is a knockout. Eat it with a fork in one hand, a hunk of crust bread in another. A damn good appetizer or light dinner.
How to Clean a Gaper or Horse Clam
When life gives you big ole’ gaper clams, whether they be horseneck, Washington or just really big steamers, you need to clean them before making chowder. Here’s how to do it, complete with a video!
Spanish Clams and Chorizo
The Iberian tradition of combining shellfish and pork is one of the great pairings in the world. Here is the most famous of the many such dishes: Spanish clams and chorizo.
How to Purge Sand from Clams
It’s occurred to me that there is a lot of misinformation out there about purging the sand from clams. I’ve been doing it for many, many years and here is how I do it, and what you need to know to do it yourself at home.
New England Style Fried Clams
I love fried clams. A lot. Maybe too much. My sisters will attest to this. Well, this is how they make fried clams in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where I’ve been eating giant baskets of them since at least 1974. This recipe is so good you’ll want to head out to the clam flats ASAP.