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Clams Oreganata (Baked Stuffed Clams)
Updated Dec. 16, 2023
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- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 24littleneck clams (about 2 pounds), scrubbed and rinsed
- 8tablespoons salted butter
- 1shallot, minced
- Salt
- ¾cup crushed butter crackers, such as Ritz
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼cup grated Parmesan
- ¾cup clam broth
- ¾cup dry white wine
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Chopped fresh parsley, for serving
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Step 2
Fill a pot with water to a depth of ¼ inch, bring to a boil, add clams and cover. Steam until they just open, removing them one by one to a bowl as they do, 4 to 7 minutes. Pull off and discard (or compost) the top shells. Strain the broth and save for later. Place the halved clams on a half sheet pan.
- Step 3
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot, sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the crackers, oregano and Parmesan to combine.
- Step 4
Scoop a heaping teaspoon of the cracker mixture over each clam. Sprinkle any extra onto the sheet pan, then pour the wine and reserved clam broth into the pan, under the shells. Cut the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter into small cubes and scatter on the pan. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the clams.
- Step 5
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.
- Step 6
Remove the clams from the oven, and arrange on a serving tray. Pour the liquid from the pan into a serving tray for guests to spoon over clams before eating. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
I live in a small midwestern town where there is no such thing as fresh clams. I *LOVE* seafood; it's frustrating to live in corn/soybean country. Does anyone think it would even be worth trying with canned clams?
I am lucky enough to live where in can get local, fresh chopped clams, but I too didn’t have shells. Last year I actually bought some from a small company on Amazon. They arrived wrapped in newspaper and bubblewrap and were perfect. After using, I washed them in the dishwasher, packed them away and will be using them again this year. One more thought - if you can find Bar Harbor brand of both chopped clams and broth (they also sell a wonderful lobster broth) - it’s excellent.
I would! I use canned chopped clams all the time on my linguini clam sauce recipe. They are just as good as most restaurant dishes. I think they would do fine with this one.
Frozen chopped clams would be better than canned. I would buy canned baby clams and chop them myself instead of canned chopped or minced clams
Nostalgic and delicious. Easy to assemble!
No need to buy clam juice. Plenty of broth from steaming the clams. If the clams do not open after 7 minutes use a knife but inspect them carefully. A big hit with the whole family.
I've made this with oysters. Very yasty
I'm in southern Italy and can't get clams bigger than a thumbnail. Wouldn't fathom stuffing the Itty bitty shells. Has anyone tried with scallops?
Seafood shells are great in a compost but you have to hammer them a tad first to start process
Yes, I used canned clams on a regular basis and they’re quite tasty
I am lucky enough to live where in can get local, fresh chopped clams, but I too didn’t have shells. Last year I actually bought some from a small company on Amazon. They arrived wrapped in newspaper and bubblewrap and were perfect. After using, I washed them in the dishwasher, packed them away and will be using them again this year. One more thought - if you can find Bar Harbor brand of both chopped clams and broth (they also sell a wonderful lobster broth) - it’s excellent.
I live in a small midwestern town where there is no such thing as fresh clams. I *LOVE* seafood; it's frustrating to live in corn/soybean country. Does anyone think it would even be worth trying with canned clams?
I would! I use canned chopped clams all the time on my linguini clam sauce recipe. They are just as good as most restaurant dishes. I think they would do fine with this one.
I'm a fresh shellfish freak, but canned clams are way better than no clams. If using canned or bottled clams, you'll likely need to supplement the recipe with some additional bottled clam juice to make up for the lack of broth from the steaming process. Definitely worth trying. The big challenge—which can be overcome with some ingenuity—is what to use in place of the shells?
Absolutely, I sometimes make stuffed clams used the canned, besides the white white, I add shaved lemon rinds and the juice of one lemon, also sprinkle some hot pepper and it's my family's favorite.
I'll have to use fresh homemade bread crumbs for this. Otherwise sounds awesome.
You can’t really compost the clam shells. They will not break down.
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