Grilled Clams with White Wine Sauce
An easy grilled clams in white wine sauce recipe made entirely on the grill. This delicious sauce is made with wine, lemon, garlic, fresno peppers, and parsley, and it's perfect for dipping semolina bread or focaccia!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 196kcal
Cost: $20
Equipment
- 1 grill
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 large bowl
Ingredients
- 50 littleneck clams
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Fresno peppers, chopped
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, extra chopped for garnish
- 2 lemons
- 1 cup white wine
Instructions
- If your clams were not already purged by the seafood market, place them in a large bowl of cold, heavily salted water and soak for 30 minutes. Remove the clams from the water with a slotted spoon, leaving any sand behind in the bottom of the bowl. Scrub and rinse the shells under cold running water.
- Preheat the grill to medium heat, around 400-450℉. Once hot, place a large saucepan (big enough to hold the clams) on the grill. Then spread all of the clams onto the grates in a single layer. Slice a lemon in half and place it cut side down on the grill. Save this for serving.
- Add the butter and olive oil to the saucepan. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic, Fresno pepper, and whole parsley sprigs. Stir everything together, close the grill, and cook for 2–3 minutes. Check the garlic as it cooks to make sure it does not burn.
- Remove and discard the parsley sprigs. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon into the saucepan, pour in the white wine, and stir the sauce. Allow it to come to a gentle simmer.
- Close the grill and continue cooking the clams for another 3-4 minutes. Check them frequently and transfer each clam to the saucepan as soon as its shell opens. Use tongs and keep the clam as level as possible so its juices fall into the sauce rather than onto the grill.
- Gently toss the clams in the white wine sauce as you add them. Close the grill between checks so the remaining clams continue cooking. Carefully remove the pan from the grill once all of the clams have been opened and transferred. Discard any clams that remain closed after cooking.
- Serve immediately with toasted semolina or Italian bread for dipping into the white wine sauce.
Video
Notes
- Most seafood markets and supermarkets purge clams before you get them, so this step can typically be skipped. It's still a good idea to scrub and rinse them before grilling.
- Inspect the clams before placing them on the grill. Discard any with cracked or broken shells. If a clam is open, gently tap it against the counter and discard it if the shell does not close.
- Clams open up at their own rate. Only transfer opened clams to the saucepan to make sure you're using only fresh, live clams.
- Keep each opened clam level as you move it with the tongs. This helps preserve the flavorful clam juice inside the shell so it ends up in the white wine sauce instead of falling through the grill grates.
- Clams overcook quickly. Remove the saucepan from the grill as soon as all the clams have opened.
- Discard any unopened clams. Don't force them open, as the clam inside was likely already dead before you put it on the grill.
Nutrition
Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1629IU | Vitamin C: 57mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg
