Baking Clams Casino
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the white wine and the clams in a wide pot with a lid over medium heat. Allow the clams to steam until they open, approximately 10 minutes. Arrange the clams in the reserved shells on the baking sheet. Spoon the vegetable mixture atop the clams, dividing equally and mounding slightly. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan. Bake until the clams are just cooked through and the topping is golden, about 10 minutes. Arrange the clams on the platter and serve. Steam clams until opened. Reserve 3 tablespoons clam liquid. Remove top shells. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place clams in shallow baking dish. Cook bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels and crumble. To bacon drippings add onion and green pepper and cook until tender. Season with lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco to taste. When cool enough to handle, remove top shells, taking care not to get any shell in meat, and discard. Tip out any oyster and clam liquor still in shells onto baking sheet. Loosen meat from shells with an oyster knife; transfer (still in shells) to another parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
According to Linda Beaulieu, author of The Providence and Rhode Island Cookbook, Clams Casino originated with “Julius Keller, maitre d’ in the original casino next to the seaside Towers in Narragansett.” As with many classic dishes, there are numerous versions. This one uses quahogs, but you could use cherrystones if you prefer, doubling the number.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat clams and water in braising pan on HIGH, covered; steam 4-5 min, just until clams begin to open. Remove from heat; discard any clams that did not open. Strain clams into a bowl, reserving liquid. Add bacon and shallot to braising pan on MED-HIGH. Cook, stirring, about 5 min, until bacon is crispy.
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon
- 6 quahogs
- 15 ml* (1 tablespoon) butter
- 45 ml (3 tablespoons) olive oil
- 177 ml (¾ cup) finely chopped onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 118 ml (½ cup) finely chopped green peppers
- 237 ml (1 cup) Italian-style dried bread crumbs
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) chopped fresh oregano
- 2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) red pepper flakes
- 118 ml (½ cup) grated Parmesan cheese
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Lemon wedges, for serving
*Metric conversions by The Cook’s Cook
Preparation
Baked Clams Casino Recipe
1. Preheat the oven to 232°C (450˚F).
2. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan, draining it on paper towels. Crumble into small pieces and reserve.
3. Wash the clams. Place them in a baking dish with 118 ml (½ cup) water. Bake until the clams open — about 15 minutes, depending on size. Discard any that do not open. When they are cool enough to handle, separate the shells and remove the meat, reserving the shells. Chop the clam meat coarsely and set aside. Reduce the oven heat to 204°C (400˚F).
4. Add the butter and 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of the oil to the skillet, and sauté the onion, garlic, and peppers until soft.
Cooking Clams Casino Boil Recipe
5. Add the bread crumbs, reserved bacon, oregano, red pepper flakes, cheese, sautéed vegetables, and chopped clams. Mix well. Fill the clamshells with this mixture and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the parsley and drizzle with the remaining oil. Bake at 204°C (400˚F) until browned; about 5 minutes.