Littlenecks and Oysters - Simply

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.

{IMG}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.