Steamed Clams in Beer with Chile and Cilantro

Steamed Clams in Beer with Chile and Cilantro

Steamed Clams in Beer with Chile and Cilantro

Steamed Clams in Beer with Chile and Cilantro

A perfect Beach Day @LongBranch,New Jersey

It’s a perfect sunny day in New Jersey. After spending hours in the beautiful Long Branch beach, it’s time to head back home. One of my favorite things to do in summer is to go to the beach. If it’s dip in to  the water  or just lie down and soaking up the sun  on warm sand  or just strolling on the broad walk, I will always find my 'Happy Place'. These Jersey Beaches are super clean, township does a good job of maintaining it. I would highly recommend to check out Long Branch, Belmar or Ocean Grove for anyone needs a beach day.  I can never get enough beach days in my calendar as summer goes really fast.

 On our way back home, we stopped at the sea food market to get a bag of Little Neck Clams to make it for dinner.  I love clams either steamed or baked, all I need is a good crusty bread to soak up all the delicious clam juices and I can eat them all .

Only hard part is to scrub all the sand and dirt on the clams that will take some time to get it out. First step is to check all clams are alive, if you see any opened clams, gently tap on the shell, if it does not close, then they are dead. And also discard any cracked or chipped ones out as they are unsafe to eat. Put the cool fresh water in a bowl and soak the selected clams for about 20-30 minutes.  You will see the clams will clean all the sand out and ready for cooking.

There are many steaming clam recipes I have tried over the years. My favorite is the Anne Burrell's easy recipe from Food Network, that always come out super delicious without a much of an effort. I have modified a recipe a bit to add 1 red bell pepper and rest of the ingredients remain the same. I have also used Thai Singha beer for th
You can get the recipe from food network, I have listed here again for reference.

Ingredients

3 table spoons of canola Oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 bird's eye chilies, coarsely chopped
2 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 bottle Asian beer ( I used Thai Singha beer)
2 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper ( finely chopped)

Directions

1.Coat a large pot with oil and bring it to a high heat. When the oil is hot add the garlic, scallions, ginger, bell pepper and chilies. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes or until everything is very aromatic.
2.Add the clams and stir to coat with the oil and other ingredients. Add the vinegar, beer, and kaffir lime leaves.
3.Cover and steam the clams until they open, about 5 to 7 minutes. Discard any clams that have not opened.
4. Divide the clams into serving bowls with the broth and sprinkle with the chopped cilantro.