She Sells Seashells

When we lived in New England, we ate shellfish on a regular basis. Some of my favorite things in the world are raw oysters and steamed clams. Last summer we returned to our old stomping grounds to attend our sweet friend's, Lauren's, wedding on Cape Cod. While there, we had some of the best Wellfleet oysters, steamed clams, and lobsters at Moby Dick's in Wellfleet. If you are ever on the Cape, be sure to stop in. Moby Dick's looks a little like a roadside tourist trap, but it has seriously good shellfish.

Living in the desert there were a few things we didn't do. We didn't go rattlesnake hunting, we didn't hike in the blazing sun in the middle of July, and we never, ever ate shellfish. Especially raw shellfish. Just too, too far from the ocean and too darned hot. However, Pasadena is only 25 miles from the ocean - close enough for steamers, for sure!

Steamed Clams in White Wine, Garlic Butter, and Thyme

Here's What You Need:
3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 pounds of clams (we used littlenecks), rinsed and cleaned
Small bunch of fresh thyme
4 fresh lemon wedges

Here is What to do:
Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant but not burned. Add wine and increase heat to medium-high until wine is brought to a simmering boil. Add clams and thyme.
Cooked covered for 5-10 minutes (depending on size of clams), check and stir occasionally, until clams have opened. Add lemon wedges just before serving. Discard any clams that don't open.Transfer clams and broth to a large serving bowl.

Serve with something to dip in the garlicy, buttery broth. We made gluten-free popovers! Yummy!

This recipe is so easy. Try to find a source for clams that are already soaked and cleaned, if you can. If not, you will need to put them through several "baths" of fresh water until they release all their sand.

Enjoy!