Lemon Garlic Steamed Clams

When I went to Long Beach, WA last November for my boyfriend's birthday, we ate out almost every night. We tried Castaways (pretty good, but buttery!), the Lost Roo, and a few other places I can't remember. Our favorite was the Lost Roo. It had this relaxed feel inside and great food. My favorite that I got twice was the bruschetta. Holy moly it was delicious!

I mean look at the photo! Doesn't it look amazing??

The one night we didn't eat out, we had stopped in Oysterville for some oysters. They only had pint sized containers or larger and Mark definitely could not have eaten all of those oysters! So we settled for clams and stopped by the store to pick up some garlic, lemon and wine, plus a few other items.

We cleaned the clams, then sauteed some garlic in oil, added lemon juice and white wine and let them steam until they opened. I had never cooked clams before, and I was surprised at how easy it was. The broth was so flavorful and we wish we had bought some bread to dip it in! Seriously, if you haven't cooked clams before, you should definitely try them!

Lemon Garlic Steamed Clams

Serves 4

2 lbs. clams

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon, juiced and zested

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. white wine, plus more to drink

salt and pepper

Add clams to a large bowl and fill with enough water to cover the clams. Let stand for at least an hour to wash out all the grit. Toss any that don't close when you touch them. Drain and rinse. 

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for about a minute or until fragrant and just turning light brown. Add juice, zest, wine and clams. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, then check to see if they have opened. Stir and cover cooking another 2 minutes or so until all the clams have opened. If any do not open, discard.

Serve clams in a large bowl with lots of bread to soak up the juices. 

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