Baked Clams Oreganata
An Italian-American classic
Ingredients
- 12 clams
- white wine
- salt
For the filling
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 2-3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 3-4 sprigs fresh parsley stems removed and leaves finely minced
- A generous pinch of dried oregano
- A pinch of red pepper flakes optional
- olive oil
- salt only if needed
For serving
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
Instructions
Prepping and cooking the clams
- Soak the clams in well-salted water to cover for an hour or more. Drain and rinse them well.
- Place the clams in a pot large enough to hold them with ease. Add a good splash of white wine. Set on medium-high heat and cover. Let simmer, shaking the pan from time to time. After a minute or two, check to see if the clams have opened. Immediately remove any that have and set them in a bowl or tray. Continue to simmer, covered, until all have done so. Reserve the clam juice at the bottom of the pot.
- Let the clams cool. Once they have, remove the top shell (the one to which the clam isn't attached) then detach the clam from the bottom shell with a paring knife. Place each clam, with its flesh still in the half shell, on a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the clams.
Prepping the filling
- While the clams are cooling, prepare the filling by mixing together the breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, oregano and, if using, the red pepper flakes. Drizzle with olive oil to moisten and mix again.
- Now take the clam juice and add it to the filling. You should get a fairly compact and moist mixture. Take care that none of the silt that may be lying at the bottom of the pan gets into the filling. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes. Taste and, only if needed, season with salt.
Filling and baking the clams
- Spoon the filling on top of the clams in a small mound, taking care not to pack them too tightly.
- Drizzle the clams with olive oil and place them in a very hot (230C/450F) oven for about 10 minutes, or until nice and golden brown on top.
- Let the clams cool a bit before serving with lemon wedges.