Cook Like an Iron Chef: Cedar Key Cilantro Sake Clams

A Note From Chef Steve Grimes

This recipe is versatile. If you want it as an appetizer, serve the clams with some bread. If you want to use the clams in a meal, serve them with fresh-cooked pasta and toss in the sauce. You can easily add some cooked bacon or ham towards the end if you want to add more meat.

Enjoy!

Chef Steve Grimes

Crane Ramen

Ingredients

• 1 Ib. clams
• 2 tbsp. salt
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, minced
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 tbsp. cilantro
• ¼ cup butter
• 2 oz. chicken broth
• 2 oz. heavy cream
• 2 oz. sake
• 7 cherry tomatoes, halved
• Pinch of black pepper

Directions

1. Place clams in large bowl with two quarts of water and two tablespoon of salt. Let soak four to six hours. This process purges the clams of sand and grit. After soaking, rinse the clams under cold water and scrub shells with fingers to remove excess grit.
2. In a large pan, cook butter, garlic, ginger and shallots on medium-high heat. Let the aromatics caramelize slightly.
3. Add clams and toss in pan to incorporate aromatics for about one minute.
4. Add sake and let it deglaze for about
   30 seconds.
5. Add chicken broth and cover. Cook on medium heat for roughly three minutes.
6. Add heavy cream and stir. Toss the claims and then recover the pan. Let cook two minutes.
7. Check that all clams are open. If the clams are not open, cover and cook for another minute.
8. Add cilantro, cherry tomatoes and black pepper.
9. Toss the pan several times. Salt and pepper to taste.

Notes on Clams

• Dead clams will not open. Sometimes after covering for what seems like too long, the clams still don’t open. Pull out the unopened clams and discard.
• Rinsing the clams is crucial. If you have gritty clams, they were not purged enough.
• Sometimes clams don’t have any meat in them, they are just full of sand. Discard them before cooking.

Photography by John Sloan