Clams on Toast
Inspired by the clam toasts on the menu at Harts restaurant in Brooklyn, NY this recipe is a fabulous way to serve fresh clams as the sourdough bread soaks up all the delicious juices.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil divided, plus more for drizzling
- 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced plus one whole clove, halved
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 1 cup diced fennel bulb
- 2 3- inch-wide strips of lemon rind
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 1 ½ - inch thick slices of sourdough bread
- 2 lbs Manila or Littleneck clams
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup roughly chopped parsley leaves approx.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large non-stick pan or shallow pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat one tbsp of olive oil. Add sliced garlic, cooking until softened and fragrant, 2 minutes. Add onion and fennel along with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened and slightly golden around the edges, around 8 minutes.
- Stir through the lemon rind, chili flakes and bay leaf. Increase the heat to high and add the wine, cooking until almost completely reduced and thickened, 4 minutes.
- Add clams to the pan and immediately cover. Gently shake the pan to evenly distribute the clams, cooking until they have opened, 5 to 7 minutes.
- While the clams are cooking, heat two tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the sourdough bread and toast for 4 minutes, turning halfway. Remove from the heat and rub the bread with the cut side of the garlic clove until fragrant. Place the bread on a rimmed serving platter.
- Remove the pan from the heat and discard any unopened clam shells along with the lemon rind and bay leaf. Gently stir through butter and parsley. Tip the clams out of the pot directly on top of the bread, along with their juices. Drizzle with remaining tbsp of olive oil, fresh black pepper and sprinkle with more parsley, if desired.
