My favorite seafood are clams.

I just adore clams… so much that when I was young, clams would be my chosen birthday dinner!

Whether on the half shell, on a pizza, in a clam pot pie, in a chowder, in a tomato sauce or sauteed with sausage, I will eat clams as my “go to” comfort food any time I can.

The following two recipes are easy to prepare and turn any mid-week dinner into a celebration.

Round out your meal with a salad and you have a feast.

Add ice cream for dessert and you have a celebration.

I hope that after you try these clam dishes, you will love them as much as I do and serve them not just for a birthday celebration.

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(Serves 6)

Clams on the Half Shell

Mid-week Clam Chowder

Clams with Sausage

Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing*

Ice Cream*

*Recipe Not Given

Clams on the Half Shell

1 dozen shucked Little Neck

or Cherry Stone Clams

(available from your seafood

monger)

1 lemon, cut into quarters

Cocktail Sauce — store

bought or homemade

1. Place your clams on a plate.

2. Serve with lemon and cocktail sauce on the side.

Mid-Week Clam Chowder

The “trick” to this recipe is buying fresh, hand-shucked, chopped sea clams available in the seafood section of most supermarkets in a 16 ounce container. 

These clam pieces are flavorful, sustainably harvested, and require no shucking!

1 16 ounce container of

shucked clam pieces

Spray oil

1 onion, chopped

2 tblsps. flour

2 Yukon Gold potatoes,

scrubbed and diced medium

3 celery ribs, washed and

sliced on the diagonal

1 large bay leaf

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves or

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

2 cups clam broth

1 cup heavy cream (or Skim

Plus, if you want to be

healthy)

2 tblsps. minced fresh

parsley leaves

Salt and ground black or

white pepper

1. Saute onion in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat, 5 to 7 minutes.  

Add flour, stir until lightly colored, about 1 minute.  

Gradually whisk in reserved clam broth.  

Add potatoes, bay leaf and thyme; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Add clams, cream, parsley and salt (if necessary) and ground pepper, to taste; bring to simmer.  

Remove from heat and serve.

Clams with Sausage

Spray oil

1 onion, peeled and sliced

in quarters

2 chicken and garlic sausage,

sliced on the diagonal

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup pureed tomatoes

3-4 dozen clams

Italian parsley

1. In a Dutch oven, spray oil and heat to medium heat.  

Add onion and saute until golden.  

Add sausage and continue sauteing.

2. Add chicken stock and pureed tomatoes and continue sauteing for 5 minutes.

3. Add clams, cover, turn heat to high and cook until clams open.

4. Stir and serve 6-8 clams per person.  

Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Alexandra Troy is owner of Culinary Architect Catering, a 32 year-old Greenvale-based company, specializing in private, corporate and promotional parties.

She lives in Manhasset with her husband and son.