Clams on the Grill

Seafood was very much a staple cuisine in my home when I was growing up. As soon as the stockpots began overtaking our kitchen counter, I knew my dad was preparing to make his yearly batch of Manhattan Clam Chowder. At 83 years old, he’s still making it. My parents were known for hosting lively clambakes each summer. Whether or not they came over prepared to swim, friends, family and neighbors all inevitably ended up in our pool. The retelling of hilarious stories from growing up in Hershfield Park remain not only entertaining but an intrinsic part of the early history. Reflecting back, my mind is flooded with memories of the wonderful and crazy families who lived among us. Pompton Lakes, New Jersey was a safe and ideal town to grow up in and will always be home to me.

Over the past few years, we open and close our patio in the same way, with clams on the grill. Grilling shellfish is relatively new to me. But in the summertime, the more food we can cook on our grill, the better. The smell of fiery charcoal always suggests something really good is coming.

A bag of little neck clams feeds 2-3 people and I buy them the day of eating.

Dump the clams into a colander and rinse in cold water.

Fire up your grill. We use charcoal but any grill will work.

While you’re waiting for your grill to heat up, mince several cloves of garlic, the zest and juice of a lemon, a little butter, parsley, salt, pepper, a splash of white wine and add to about a half cup of good EVOO. Warm up on the stove for a few minutes.

Grilled bread is a must for this dish. We are big fans of ciabatta from Fresh Market but any crusty bread works. Cut the bread into 2” slices and brush one side lightly with the EVOO mixture. Set aside.

Fit as many clams on the grill as you can

Once the flames go beneath the grate, start placing as many clams as can fit onto the grill and cover. There is no fancy equipment needed here. After a few minutes, start checking for opened clams and move them into a big bowl. Work in batches. Never force open a clam. If it doesn't open, it’s a dud. Throw it out. Once all clams are off the grill, slowly pour the EVOO over the clams and gently mix with a large spoon. Reserve some of the sauce for dipping.

Grilled ciabatta

Now it’s time to quickly grill the bread. Arrange the slices onto grate, dry side down. The grill marks will indicate when to pull the bread off the grill.

Sometimes clams and ciabatta are enough for us. And then there are times when I need to make a little more of a meal. A green salad always works and we also love corn on the cob. Grilling corn slathered in a compound butter is also something we have been doing lately and it beats the old-fashioned boiling method.

Here’s what you do. Take out a stick or two of salted butter in the morning or even the day before. After a few hours the butter will soften. Put in a bowl and mash it with a fork. Compound butters can be anything you want to add in for some extra flavor. For this meal, I usually add a little lime zest, garlic and fresh thyme. Thoroughly mix into the mashed butter and then spoon into a ramekin or other small, shallow dish. Let set in the fridge for a few hours.

Husk the corn. Place each piece of corn on its own piece of aluminum foil. Coat the corn with as little or as much of the compound butter and salt. Loosely roll each piece of corn. Grill for about 15-20 minutes.

Summer in a Bottle Rose

We pair this favorite summer meal with a bottle of Wolffer Summer in a Bottle or Sauvignon Blanc. Delicious!

To finish off this salty dinner, we find the super simple, no fuss, best dessert to be a scoop of Talenti pistachio gelato sandwiched between two Tate’s chocolate chip cookies.

In my ever so humble opinion, nothing says summer or end of summer, like clams on the grill and Wolffer wine. We may even try it in the winter.

Delicious!!!