Steamers (Steamed Clams)
New England steamers: soft-shell clams soaked to purge the sand, steamed for 15 minutes, and served with their broth, drawn butter and lemon.
From the recipe book of Sandra Mills, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained cook in our family.
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Steamers are a New England summer tradition, and Sandra Mills's method is the classic one. The clams soak in two changes of water to purge their sand, then steam over a couple of inches of boiling water for about 15 minutes.
Serve them with a bowl of the broth from the bottom of the pot for rinsing each clam, and drawn butter and fresh lemon wedges for dipping.
Ingredients
- 1 pound clams
- Drawn butter (melted), for serving
- Fresh lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Soak. Soak the clams in a pot of water for 1 hour. Change the water and repeat.
- Set up the steamer. Use a seafood steaming pot if you have one. If you don't have the pot, the clams can be steamed using a steaming rack.
- Boil. Put 2 inches of water in the bottom of the steaming kettle and bring it to a rapid boil.
- Steam. Put the clams in the top of the pot and cover. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Serve. Pour the broth from the bottom of the pot into a bowl. Serve with drawn butter and fresh lemon wedges.
Tips
- Before cooking, discard any clams with cracked shells. After steaming, discard any that did not open.
- To eat a steamer, pull it from the shell, peel the skin off the neck, swish it in the broth to rinse off any sand, then dip it in butter.
Questions about this recipe
- Why soak steamers before cooking?
- Soft-shell clams hold sand. Soaking them in clean water, changed once, lets them purge it so the clams are not gritty.
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