I've been trying to find these since June, but all my L.A. area searches came up empty. Found them at a seafood market in Ensenada today. I ate a
piece raw and it was good. When I had them in La Paz they were chopped up and served in the shell. I don't know if they were raw or steamed, but they
were delicious!
Just wondering if anyone has a preferred method on preparing them. And how long do they stay fresh? I bought them alive, then had them cleaned this
morning. I have two dozen in a plastic bag along with the juice from the shell. I want to share them with friends on Saturday (2 more days), will they
still be good?
Thanx in advance for any advice!Sharksbaja - 11-19-2009 at 11:55 PM
First, take em out of that bag and place them in a plastic potato sack or similar. PLace them in bucket or container and loosely cover. Keep in cold
place (34-38F)
DO NOT RINSE. Top check on them every day or so and look to see if they are gaping open. If some are then to see if they are alive and well simply
tap them. If they close up tightly they are good to go. If not I won't serve them.
That doesn't mean they are unfit to eat(they may be) it just means they are dead.
Clams will survive many days stored that way. Clams vary from specie to specie but a happy clam won't smile. Also water temps and season can
determine they longevity. In August when clams typically spawn the number of days they wi9ll remain alive is shortened dramatically.
The foolproof method for great steamer clams 1 lb=
2oz or 2 parts white wine
5 parts clam juice
3 parts water
teaspoon minced garlic
dash wh pepper
large pinch chopped parsley
Add all ingredients in smallish pot and high heat . As soon as they open remove them.
Rarely do clams stay shut after they expire.
Chocolates are good many ways. Raw w/lime or pico de gallotattuna - 11-20-2009 at 12:14 AM
Thank you for the tips Tiburon! I forgot to mention, they are not in the shell. When they cleaned them they took them out. I have a bag of shells and
a bag of meat en su jugo.
When I had them at Tecolote Beach they were en su concha, chopped, and served with pico de gallo. I'm assuming they were raw.
Since they're not in the shell anymore should I remove them from the plastic bag of juice?Sharksbaja - 11-20-2009 at 12:45 AM
Ohhhhhh. In that case ummm, just keep very cold and use yer nose. A Bad clam will not soon be forgotten. Leave them in their own juice, yes. They
should be fine by this weekend.JESSE - 11-20-2009 at 01:23 AM
Mix half butter and half blue cheese or gorgonzola, add a little cilantro as well. Grab a shell, add some clam meat, and then add about half a
teaspoon of the butter mix. Wrap with aluminum foil, and grill over mezquite.tripledigitken - 11-20-2009 at 01:41 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by JESSE
Mix half butter and half blue cheese or gorgonzola, add a little cilantro as well. Grab a shell, add some clam meat, and then add about half a
teaspoon of the butter mix. Wrap with aluminum foil, and grill over mezquite.
Now that sounds like a winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One more
Sharksbaja - 11-20-2009 at 02:01 AM
My "Vera Cruz" c-cktail
1/3 cucumber diced small
2 stalks celery finely chopped in food processor but not pureed
2 green onions chopped small
large pinch cilantro chopped
4 oz V-8, Clamato or tomato juice
1 oz wh wine
teaspoon minced garlic
squirt worcestershire
squirt Tapatio
squirt Guacamaya
squirt Tobasco
pinch pepper
pinch celery seed
pinch paprika
Briefly saute 4 oz clams in a little butter white wine
or
4oz chopped fresh raw chocolates or equiv
Gently stir clams into mixture and gently add clams. Serve in tall parfait glass
[Edited on 11-20-2009 by Sharksbaja]
Clam history...Some old choco-lah-tay notes..
Pompano - 11-20-2009 at 03:30 AM
....Chocolate Erotica...patented by my good friend, Johnny Tequila.
Eat em raw like this...We cut up some roma tomatoes, some red marinated onion, sprinkle with fresh grated Romano, squeeze some fresh lime on them to
make 'em wiggle and pop down the hatch...
...or bake 'em on the grill or campfire for 1 minute to melt the cheese and have Baja Pizza.
Here we are having some aboard JT's trimaran, Quetzal. Muy sabrosa.
.
Bon Appetite!
try them at El Patrons...the old Almeja by the lighthouse, now run by Tim and Lilly. They use an old recipe Johnny Tequila showed Ramon when he was
still alive..(Ramon, that is, JT is still kicking up in Utah.) "Choco-lah-tay Erotica." Simply delicious on the grill with some chopped onions, tomato
bits, cheese, garlic bread crumbs, and tobasco. Yummy with a Pacifico on the seaside tables. The steamers are tender too, with some buttery sauce.
Reminds me of an old friend, Jean Pierre, a French Algerian who ran the Hacienda Hotel and adjoining Casablanca Cafe some years ago. (Where the
Pelican Reef was and is now vacant..again.)
Nicknamed 'The Golden Piccolo' by Mulege townspeople, Jean Pierre was quite the ladykiller and liked to eat the ' Eroticas.' He would often tell me
that he had eaten a dozen the night before,... "..but only eleven worked!" He was held in awe by us mortals.
.
Remember, digging shellfish is illegal.
Find about 6-8 'washed-up-but-alive' chocolates per person. Slice them in half...carefully slipping your blade between the halves. Scrape out the
siphon and discard (black stuff).
Then, cut around the shell to loosen all the meat from shell...leave half in each open half-shell.
Add to each half: chopped onions, tomatoes, a squeeze of lime, a drop of tobasco, and shake liberal Parmesan cheese over the top.
.
(Note: You will see the 'foot' of the chocolate curl and an try to attack you when squeezing the lime juice on..this is a sign of a nice fresh
'washed-up-clam'. When swallowing this foot will try to grab your tonsils and hold on, but just swallow real hard and it releases.)
Grill on hot grate until cheese melts...let cool while opening a cold Pacifico ...and let eat right from the shell. Absolutely delicious.
And better than Viagra...so JT says.
Easy open ~ Ice cold
Russ - 11-20-2009 at 06:07 AM
Put your chocolatas in a wash tub or bucket and cover with ice. the cut some limes and get out the hot sauce & a plate. in about ten minutes the
clams will open and you can easily free them to the plate on the 1/2 shell. Add lime and hot sauce and enjoy.
mulegemichael - 11-20-2009 at 06:59 AM
another one that we call "clam surprises".....with a thin fillet knife cut the clam in half, scoop out the little gut section with a spoon...rinse
lightly...press the clam into a plate of cracker crumbs and fry in a mixture of butter and oil just until the clam is brown...it'll pop right out of
the shell and into your mouth..wash down with liberal amounts of cold pacifico.
