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]

My best friend A was over a few nights ago for a girls night in. 

We made hot fudge all afternoon and then for dinner, we prepared a much healthier dish to balance all of the chocolate tasting that goes into preparing the perfect hot fudge.

Salmón a la Sidra
(serves 2)
The recipe has been adapted from The Food of Spain by Vicki Harris

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 salmon fillet pieces (6-7 oz each)
1 red onion, diced
12 oz sidra (alcoholic apple cider)
pinch of dried chili powder
12 mussels, debearded and scrubbed
3 tablespoons of finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole dish on the stovetop over medium heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the salmon fillet and then sear, skin side up, for about 2 minutes or until light golden in color. Remove the salmon and set aside.

Add the extra virgin olive oil to the casserole dish. Add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes of until softened. Return the salmon, skin side down to the casserole dish and add the cider, chili, mussels and half of the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.Cover and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove the salmon and shellfish. Set aside and cover to keep warm. (Leave in any shellfish that have not opened.)

Place the casserole dish back on the stovetop over high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half. Discard any shellfish that haven't opened at this stage. Serve the salmon with the sauce and shellfish. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

[1-4. c. lynn]

We've arrived in Obama (小浜市), literally "little beach." It's pretty sleepy around here, but everyone's really happy for Mr. O, and the fugu (ふぐ) is delicious.

[1. ACS]