my modern artefact

As much as I wanted to learn how to barbecue oysters this summer, I couldn't seem to get it together. In fact, I haven't really made prepared much shellfish lately as A can be finicky about them. However, this afternoon I got a craving for baked clams which is apparently a New England and Italian favorite, Vongole Gratinate al Forno (A had never heard of them—Oysters Rockefeller yes, Clams Casino yes, baked clams no). Although A wasn't a fan, I ate them up and was really pleased with myself. 

Here's Martha Stewart's recipe, which I tweaked to taste:

1 pound littleneck clams, shucked, juice reserved (to learn how to shuck, watch this helpful video)

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 lemon, halved

Coarse sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler. Shuck clams with a clam knife. Evenly place clams in their half shells on a baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil and set aside.
2. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over clams and lightly pat down to adhere. Squeeze the juice from 1 of the lemon halves over clams; drizzle with olive oil.
3. Place clams under broiler, and cook until breadcrumbs are light golden and bubbly, about 6 minutes, drizzling clams with reserved clam juice halfway through cooking.
4. Transfer clams to a serving plate, season with salt and pepper. Cut remaining lemon half into 4 wedges. Serve clams immediately with lemon wedges. 

[1. c. lynn]