I’ve got fresh ideas for cooking with clams during summer:

1.  Shellfish Platter

In Thomas Keller’s Bouchon cookbook you’ll find instructions on composing a glorious Plateau de Fruits de Mer. It’s one of those grand seafood platters people order in restaurants, a true celebration of all the ocean has to offer. For me, it’s a jovial way to share a table with friends while drinking bubbles. A platter is filled with ice and seafood piled atop. Cooked crab, lobster, mussels, and shrimp are served alongside raw, shucked oysters and clams. A choice of sauces such as mignonette, cocktail, and aioli is placed on the table for dipping. Magnificent!

2.  Pizza

Every Friday night Proto’s Pizza in Boulder features a special of clam pizza. Mario Batali shares his take in Molto Gusto with a recipe for Pizza Vongole. Clams are cooked in a pot with olive oil, garlic, white wine and red pepper flakes. Then a pizza crust is topped with fresh mozzarella and baked. Once removed from the oven the pizza is topped with clams and plenty of fresh parsley.

3.  Broiled

The recipe for Sizzling Clams with Garlic-Herb Butter in Bistro Cooking at Home is quick, flavorful, and can be prepared ahead of time. Gordon Hamersley suggests shucking the clams ahead of time and placing them on a cookie sheet in the fridge, each with a dollop of the compound butter. To cook the clams just place them under a hot broiler for about 3 minutes. Serve the sizzling hot clams with chopped herbs and lemon wedges as a starter.

4.  Grilled Over Hot Coals

Littleneck and razor clams are delicious cooked on the grill, where the smoke infuses the shellfish. Just set them on a wire rack and cook for a few minutes until they pop open, bubbling in their own juices. Serve with grilled corn. Spiked Clams and Oysters from The New Classics by Martha Stewart seems like a great idea. The shellfish are placed in a cast-iron skillet with tequila, covered in foil and cooked atop a charcoal grill. Imagine the possibilities! I think it would be interesting to use an especially smoky or tequila for this. She serves the cooked clams and oysters with several sauces: chipotle mayonnaise, Bloody Mary sauce, and lime-mint sauce.

5.  Ceviche

Two-Minute Cherrystone Clam Ceviche  from The Young Man & the Sea is inspired by the South American technique of “cooking” seafood by marinating it in citrus juice. Shucked clams are tossed with lemon and lime juice then served in their shells with diced watermelon, cucumber, scallions, jalapeño and sea salt. So refreshing in the heat of summer!

6.  Asian Stir-Fry

I came across a recipe for Stir-Fried Clams with Garlic and Ginger in Rick Stein’s Complete Seafood (James Beard Award Winning Cookbook), that looks perfect for summer: quick cooking with big flavors. Garlic, ginger, clams, shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, and green onions are stir-fried in a hot wok. This dish would make a healthy, easy weeknight supper.

7.  Clams and Pork

Clams and pork are a beautiful combination. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall refers to the Portuguese tendency to pair the two in his book, River Cottage. Clams are steamed in white wine.  Seasoned pork tenderloin is browned in a frying pan then cooked with chorizo, the clams and their juices. A finely chopped chile is added at the last moment and the dish is served over white rice. This recipe from Bon Appétit combines clams with fennel and spicy Italian sausage. I like clams cooked with chorizo over white beans.

8.  Go Greek with Shellfish Youvetsi

How to Roast a Lamb, by Michael Psilakis, details a recipe for shellfish stew inspired by the clay pot Greek sheepherders used to cook stews. Onion, fennel, garlic and celery are sauteed in oil for the base. Saffron is sprinkled in, then littleneck clams, razor clams, shrimp, and mussels are thrown into the pot with orzo pasta. The shellfish simmers in white wine and ouzo just a few moments until perfectly cooked. To finish, the shellfish youvetsi is served with lemon and herbs such as parsley, dill, and mint. This sounds so light and fresh, perfect for a summer evening and an easy supper with friends.

9.  Go For the Can

That’s right, I’m talkin’ canned clams. It’s a Spain thing. Ever since I saw Anthony Bourdain in Spain singing the virtues of canned seafood I’ve developed a fascination with it. Canned seafood can be kept in the pantry waiting to be tossed with pasta or served on an hors d’ oeuvres plate to drop in guests. Look for products with no added ingredients and try different producers until you settle on a favorite.

10.  Clam Juice

Bottled clam juice is often used to add flavor to soups, pasta sauces, and risotto. The Lee Bros. write about clam juice in their Southern Cookbook, describing it as having a “fresh from the sea” flavor. I like clam juice in dishes where there are no clams to add depth of flavor like this shrimp scampi. Cook’s Illustrated recommends using clam juice to flavor seafood stocks used in dishes like paella and bouillabaisse.

 How do you like to cook with clams? Let me know in the comments section. Click here.