Clams Casino — a Rhode Island classic and the ultimate easy but impressive seafood appetizer. Perfect for any seafood lover, this dish comes together fast — tender littleneck clams topped with buttery breadcrumbs, smoky bacon, and peppers, baked golden and ready in just about 20 minutes.
Full recipe is live on my site
(dairy-free optional when using plant-based butter and cheese)
Here’s what you’ll need:
• 25 littleneck clams, cleaned and scrubbed
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup water
• 2 slices thick-cut bacon, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• ½ red bell pepper, finely diced
• ½ orange bell pepper, finely diced
• ¾ cup breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (or dairy-free cheese)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tbsp reserved clam cooking liquid
• ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• ½ lemon, juiced
• Pinch lemon zest
• 2 tbsp parsley (1 for mix, 1 for garnish)
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• Lemon wedges, to serve
Directions:
1. Clean and scrub your clams to remove all sand and grit.
2. In a saucepan, bring white wine and water to a simmer. Add clams, cover, and steam until they open — about 5–6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and save 1 tablespoon of the clam juice.
3. Dice your bacon and peppers.
4. Cook the bacon in a cast-iron skillet until crispy. Remove bacon, add butter and peppers, and sauté 3–4 minutes.
5. In a bowl, mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan, olive oil, Worcestershire, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, salt, and pepper. After mixing, add melted butter and the reserved clam juice — stir to combine.
6. Remove the top shells from the clams. Loosen each clam from its shell for easy eating.
7. Spoon on the breadcrumb mix, top with the pepper and bacon mixture.
8. Bake at 425°F for 5–6 minutes until golden.
9. Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Clams Casino. A Rhode Island classic packed with flavor. Tender Little Neck Clams topped with golden breadcrumbs, crispy bacon, and buttery peppers. So easy, so good, and ready in 20 minutes. Let’s heat a pot and pour in water and wine. Bring to a simmer and drop in the clams. Cover and let them steam for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, then chop your peppers and bacon. Cook the bacon first, then saute your peppers in the bacon fat with some butter. Let’s grab a bowl, season our breadcrumbs, and mix in melted butter and a splash of clam broth. Take your clams, separate the top shell, loosen the meat, and then set on a baking sheet. Now top with the breadcrumbs, bacon, and peppers. Bake for five minutes, then finish with a sprinkle of parsley and lemon. And that’s it. A perfect appetizer for any occasion.
2 Comments
Nice
Looks really good never tried clams before