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Health & Fitness

Grilled Clams Casino with Pasta - a great beach recipe!

Grilled Clams Casino with Pasta

 

Clams and mussels are a favorite in our house so when I saw that Costco’s carries 5 lbs. bags of fresh Florida Littleneck clams for $15.00 I couldn’t resist. The trick about keeping the clams or mussels alive until they are cooked is to be sure that they can breathe. That means make sure that there are holes poked in the plastic wrap and always keep them in the refrigerator. There is always just a little bit of sand inside these bivalves so when preparing them not only do you need to scrub the outside of the shell but soak them in cold water for about 15 minutes to allow them to release the sand inside their shells. Typically clams do not have a strong flavor so most complaints about such dishes like Clams Linguine is that it can be bland if not spiced right. Grilling is a great way to infuse a smoky flavor that quite nicely compliments the other ingredients. Since clams are quite small and the juice inside of a cooked clam is an important ingredient, using a 9x13 foil pan when grilling not only saves the juice but they won’t fall through the grid on the grill. Here is a Clams Casino recipe using pasta just like a Clams Linguine recipe.

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Bacon Bread Crumbs

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5 slices of bacon

1 ½ cups of course crumbs from a loaf of crusty Italian bread

3 Tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, minced

¼ cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese

 

In a large sauté pan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and crumble into fine bits. Stir together the bread crumbs, oregano, and Parmesan add to the bacon grease over medium low heat. Stir breaking up bits until well toasted. The Parmesan will clump the bread so it is important to keeping breaking up the clumps. Pour the toasted bread crumbs into a bowl and add the bacon bits. Toss well and set aside.

 

Pasta

1 lbs. of thin spaghetti, cooked to pkg. directions

½ cup of parsley, finely chopped

½ cup of Parmesan cheese, finely grated

 

Toss cook pasta with the parsley and the cheese.

 

 

Clams on the Grill

9x13 foil pan

3 Tablespoons of minced garlic

3 Tablespoons of minced shallots

½ teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes

¼ cup of Olive oil

1 cup of dry white wine

5 lbs. Littleneck clams, scrubbed and soaked

3 Tablespoons of lemon juice

Kosher Salt to taste

 

Heat a charcoal grill. When coals are an ash color they are ready. Add the garlic, shallots, red pepper flakes and olive oil to the foil pan. Place the pan over direct heat and sauté the garlic and shallots for about 1 minute or until you can smell the garlic. Add the white wine and cook until reduced about 4 minutes (should be boiling at this point). Add the clams and cover with the lid. Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until the clams open. Discard the unopened clams. Strain the clams and set aside. Stir in the lemon juice and salt to taste into the sauce. Stir the sauce into the pasta and toss well.

 

To assemble:

Plate the pasta and top with the clams. Sprinkle the bacon bread crumbs over the clams and garnish with more Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

 

Serves 6

 

 

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