The crisp clear waters of eastern Long Island offer the briniest shellfish perfect
for eating simply. Raw, roasted, grilled, or steamed I’m talking littleneck clams
and oysters here.
As a child, I was taught to know the pleasure of a clam when it is shucked and swallowed
in its salty fragrant glory just as it comes from the sea. No doubt this is what
prompted a lifelong love affair with salt in general.
My favorite littlenecks come from the waters of Napeague. Making my way home from
a day in Montauk, a stop at the Clam Bar for a dozen cold ones with horseradish,
lemon, and a grind of fresh pepper from my tiny traveling peppermill completes a
perfect beach day. A schmear of garlic herb or casino butter melted atop a half-shell
on the grill or in the oven is no slouch either. My “electric chair” last meal would
certainly be linguine with lots of steamed littleneck clams (not cockles!!!), garlic,
white wine, olive oil and parsley.
As for oysters, this lip-smacking, vitamin charged bivalve is clearly a national
habit not to be confined to those months containing an R. Two of Long Islands finest
oysters are those being farmed by Tom Cornell in Southold (Cornell Oysters of Hog
Neck Bay www.cornelloysters.com) and Montauk Pearls™ grown by the Montauk Shellfish
Company.
Fresh oysters on the half shell are best served absolutely cold. Offer them with
lemon, a great hot sauce, or mignonette sauce. Or – if you must – you can also serve
them with cocktail sauce. In the fall, try topping an icy cold oyster on the half-shell
with a raw Peconic Bay scallop (see “In Search of Peconic Bay Scallops”, Vol. 1
Issue 12, December 2011 to find out how to catch your own!) and a squeeze of lemon
– heaven.
Admittedly, shucking is a skill that requires practice. An easy alternative to half
shelling clams and oysters is to simply place the scrubbed unopened shellfish on
a hot grill over soaked wood chips. Wait for them to pop open, remove from the grill
and pluck the meat out with a cocktail fork. Enjoy by dunking them in a melted butter
flavored with shallots, garlic, lemon, and herbs. A personal favorite for oysters
is a beer and horseradish butter.
Try this on grilled or pan roasted oysters:
Beer and Horseradish Butter
- 1 bottle dark ale
- 1 tablespoon horseradish
- 1 teaspoon chopped shallot
- 1 small clove minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter – cut in small cubes
Combine all ingredients except butter in sauce pan and simmer over low heat for
approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter one cube at a time.
Finish with a drop or two of hot sauce, a grinding of black pepper, and a pinch
of sea salt.
For oysters or clams on the half-shell:
Verjus Mignonette
- 2 teaspoons champagne vinegar
- 2 minced shallots
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns crushed with the bottom of a pot or with mortar and
pestle
- 1 cup Wölffer Estate White Verjus
- 1 teaspoon chopped mild fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, chervil, tarragon,
or a combination of all
Mix in bowl with spoon and let sit 10 minutes. Spoon over oysters and/or clams.
