Clam Toast With Bacon Recipe From Cull & Pistol
White wine helps clams open up
Location, location, location: The newly opened Cull & Pistol is smack-dab in the center of one of New York City's culinary highlights: Chelsea Market. Diners at this table-service sister to The Lobster Place fish market next door are privy to some of the best seafood New York has to offer. For his clam toast, chef David Seigal quick-steams Manila and littleneck clams (delivered near-daily from both coasts) in a garlicky wine broth enhanced by house-made, Creole-seasoned Tasso ham sourced from market neighbor Dickson's Farmstand Meats. The brothy lot is ladled over a hunk of crusty country bread from Amy's Bread, baked fresh just across the hall. Being neighborly sure does taste fine.
Recipe adapted from David Seigal, Cull & Pistol, New York City
- 3 pounds fresh clams (preferably a combination of small Manila clams and larger littlenecks)
- ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 bacon strips (or 3 ounces Tasso ham), chopped into ¼-inch-wide pieces
- 6 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced, plus 1 garlic clove halved lengthwise
- 3 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra if needed
- 2 cups dry white wine
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra if needed
- 4 slices toasted or grilled crusty bread
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives
- ½ lemon
- To a large bowl, add the clams and cover with cold water. Set aside for 20 minutes, then use a brush to scrub off any sand or grit from the shells. Rinse under cold water and set aside.
- In a large skillet set over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once it shimmers, after about 2 minutes, add the chopped bacon (or ham) and cook, stirring often, until the ham begins to crisp and the fat starts to render, about 4 minutes. Stir in the sliced garlic and shallots and cook until they become translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes, pepper and salt, then add the clams and the white wine. Cover the skillet and increase the heat to high. Cook until the clams open, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the clams to a large bowl, discarding any clams that don't open.
- Continue to simmer the liquid until it is reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Remove the clams from the shells and add them to the reduced wine sauce in the skillet.
- Place the toasted bread on a plate and rub each slice with the halved garlic, then spread with some of the mayonnaise. To each plate, add 1 slice of bread, and top with some clams and some of the wine sauce. Sprinkle with the chives and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt, if needed.