Steamed Clams with Fennel

Cooking clams is incredibly simple. The secret is as easy as fresh clams and the complimenting ingredients for a delicious broth. If you are skeptical, just try this recipe for Steamed Clams with Fennel.

Clams are my favorite food. Firstly, because they are delicious. Secondly, they bring up great memories of my childhood when each summer my grandmother visited from the East Coast and we would visit the Pike Place Market in Seattle and feast on steamers for lunch.

Best Type of Clams for Steaming

• Manila // These Pacific Northwest gems are both affordable and a sustainable type of seafood. They are small and less briny than other types of clams.
  
• Littlenecks // The clams are the smallest of the hard-shell clams and are found along the Northeast Atlantic coast. They are sweet and tender.
  
• Northern Washington // These clams found in Pacific from Northern California to Alaska have a buttery texture that melts in your mouth.

When selecting ingredients for your steaming broth, it is important to select tastes that complement the flavors of your clams. Often, this means foods that bring spice or acidity for the sweet and salty flavor of the clam. Here acid is added from the tomatoes and white wine.

Steps for Making Steamed Clams with Fennel

1. Scrub and clean your clams.
2. Melt buttter.
3. Saute garlic, onions and fennel.
4. Add white wine and tomatoes and bring to boil.
5. Steam clams in broth.
6. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

The great thing about steaming clams in the outdoors is that a variety of heat sources can be used. Anything from camp stoves to backpacking stoves to campfires. For this trip, I used a campfire and grilled some bread right alongside my pot of clams.

Today, I love searching for clams along the Oregon coast where they are plentiful in bays and estuaries. Check out the resources page for more information on where to go and how to get started.

5 from 10 votes

Steamed Clams with Fennel

Servings 2 people

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 onion sliced
• 1 fennel bulb fronds removed, thinly sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 pound Manila or littleneck clams
• 2 tbsp parsley chopped
• 1/2 lemon sliced into wedges

Instructions

• Melt butter in large stockpot. Add garlic and heat until fragrant. Add onion and fennel and saute for 5 minutes while stirring frequently.
• Add wine and tomatoes. Bring to simmer. Add clams and cover. Cook until clams open, approximately 5-8 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open.
• Serve with parsley and lemon slices.

Notes

Add a slice of crusty baguette to soak up the broth. 

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Seafood

Keyword: Fish, Seafood

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @bewildeats on Instagram and hashtag it #bewildeats.