Category
Clams
Servings
4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
This is the ultimate clam dip recipe, ready to enjoy as part of your Game Day menu. Unlike other clam dip recipes, ours is full of sweet, briny, fresh littleneck clams, before being crowned with a bubbling hot, golden breadcrumb crust. Serve this crowd-pleaser with your favorite chips and crackers.
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon thyme leaves
1 cup beer of your choice, room temperature
-
2 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground mustard
½ teaspoon paprika
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon worcestershire sauce
6 oz cream cheese
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon chives, chopped
½ cup panko
½ cup cheddar, grated
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon chives, chopped (optional)
For the Clams
For the Dip
For the Top
Directions
Finely grate the garlic, keeping the two amounts separate. In a large pot, heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sweat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the thyme, and sauté for another minute or so, again until fragrant. Pour in the beer and bring to a simmer, then season with a pinch of salt and gently dump the clams in.
Cover and steam until they open, about 5 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat.
Allow the clams to cool in their cooking liquid, then remove all meat from the shells. Save the cooking liquid to use in other recipes.
Preheat a high broiler. Finely chop the clams. In a large skillet, heat the teaspoon of olive oil and butter together. When the butter has melted, add in the rest of the microplaned garlic. Let it sweat over medium low heat for a couple of minutes, then add in the chopped clams, ground mustard and paprika and stir to combine.
After about 2 minutes, when you can smell the spices, pour in the lemon juice and worcestershire, and bring the heat up to medium. Stir in the cream cheese and mayo, allowing everything to melt together. Continue to stir occasionally for a few minutes, until the dip is thoroughly combined and bubbling slightly. Stir in the chives.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the panko, cheddar and olive oil, and stir until everything is mixed well.
Transfer the dip to ramekins, and sprinkle the panko/cheddar mix over the top. Place under the broiler for a few minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden. Finish with the remaining chives, if using, and serve with crusty bread, chips or crackers