I love when I taste a flavor combination I’ve never had before and I’m blown away. Many years ago, I first sampled this dish at the party of a family friend–the main meal was billed as a crab boil, but this course was the appetizing opener. And what an impression it made. Honestly, I think it was the first time I’d tasted grilled shellfish, and the combination with charred pancetta and a spicy butter sauce was a mind-bender. For days after, my brother, quite the accomplished cook himself, and I conferred on what made this dish so great. Which pork product was grilled with those clams? Was the herb parsley or cilantro? What gave depth of the flavor to the sauce? We experimented and compared notes until we came up with what we believed to be the brilliant balance of this recipe. The resulting dish is a complete wow. This is a great summertime dish to pull out of my bag of tricks when I’m entertaining–it’s not complicated to make, but oh, so impressive and finger-licking delicious.
Grilled Clams with Pancetta in Lime Butter Hot Sauce
Salty, sizzling pancetta perfectly complements the succulent, briny flesh of these tender clams. A decadent butter sauce, licked with tangy lime juice, the tamarind of worcestershire and a spicy kick of hot sauce, brings all the juices together. Cilantro adds a distinct herbaceous quality that rounds out the flavor.
Littleneck clams are the perfect size for this dish–be sure to be generous when purchasing them. If you’re serving this as a first course, 8 per person is a good rule of thumb, unless you’re expecting some very hungry guests. Give those shells a good scrub, cover them with cold water in a large bowl and sprinkle over a few tablespoons of flour or corn starch, which will cause the clams to “cough up” any sand or grit they may be holding on to.
Prep the butter sauce: finely mince several cloves of garlic and chop a bunch of fresh cilantro. Slowly melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the garlic, fresh lime juice, hot sauce (I prefer Frank’s–it’s vinegary and not too hot) and worcestershire sauce, tasting to make sure the flavor is balanced. The sauce should be tangy, creamy and a little spicy. Add a pinch of salt, if needed. Keep warm until ready to use.
Preheat a charcoal or gas grill. Drain the clams, rinse and dry off. Place thick pancetta slices on the hot grill and spread out the shellfish next to it. Keep a close watch on those clams as they cook–as soon as they fully pop open their shells, remove them from the fire, being careful not to spill their juices into the fire. Place in a large bowl; discard any clams that don’t open.
When the pancetta slices cook and caramelize on one side, flip them over to cook on the other side. Place on a cutting board and dice. Toss with the clams in the large bowl.
Pour the reserved butter sauce over the grilled clams and diced pancetta. Scatter the chopped fresh cilantro over all and give everything a good toss. Serve with warm, fresh baguette or peasant bread for dipping in the sauce. Fun to eat, these clams are outstanding and a great opening act to any meal!
Serves 6:
4 dozen littleneck clams
2 tablespoons flour or corn starch
8 ounces pancetta, cut in 2 thick slices
4 to 5 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 to 3 limes, juiced
3 tablespoons hot sauce, preferably Frank’s
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
I want some! Now.