Scalloped Clams
18 opened clams 6 large clams in shell White pepper 2 tablespoons minced celery 48 very small dice of fat bacon 4 tablespoons cracker-dust 2 tablespoons butter Have the clams that are in the shell opened carefully, so as not to injure the shells, which are to be used in scalloping the clams. Clean the shells well with brush and water. Lay two clams in each half shell, dust with white pepper, and one-half teaspoon of minced celery, and add four of the bacon dice; cover with a very thin layer of cracker-dust, put a half teaspoon butter on top and bake in the oven until brown.
A compact half-shell bake that predates the standardised oven dial, so the one thing the original leaves out is heat. Everything else scales cleanly once you see the arithmetic behind the ingredient list.
- The arithmeticSix clams in the shell give twelve half shells; at two clams each you need twenty-four clams, which is exactly the eighteen shucked plus the six in shell. The 48 bacon dice, 2 tablespoons celery and 2 tablespoons butter likewise divide into four dice and a half teaspoon each of celery and butter per shell.
- Oven heatNo temperature is given. Use a hot oven, 425-450F, and bake only until the crumbs colour, roughly 8-10 minutes. A slow oven will dry the clams to erasers long before the top browns.
- Cracker-dustFinely rolled soda or common crackers, closer to a powder than a crumb. Saltines crushed to dust in a bag work; panko does not, as it sits too coarse and open on so small a surface.
- The baconFour raw dice per shell will not fully render in ten minutes at this size. Cut the dice about 1/8 inch and give them a minute or two in a dry pan first, or they finish flabby under the crumbs.
- Which clamsLittlenecks or cherrystones. Large chowder quahogs are too tough for a quick bake and their shells are too deep to fill sensibly. Ask the fishmonger to open them, and keep the liquor to moisten the crumbs.
- Cleaning the shellsThe instruction to scrub them with a brush is not decorative. Shells hold grit in the hinge and along the rim, and the filling is thin enough that any sand ends up in the mouthful.
- Steadying themA bed of coarse salt or crumpled foil on the sheet pan keeps the shells level so the butter and clam liquor stay put.
- YieldTwelve filled shells: a first course for four to six, or a dozen pieces passed with drinks.