There’s nothing more satisfying on a hot summer day than a bowl of steamed clams with a cold wheat beer on the side. As much as I like chilled cocktails and white wine on a hot day, more than one drink tends to make me feel obliterated.
Wheat beer, which is usually low in alcohol, tart, unfiltered (I don’t know why, but the murky color of the beer reminds me of a cool swimming hole), and brightened with refreshing flavorings like coriander seed and dried orange peel, is the ideal summer drink and is an excellent ingredient to cook with, especially to bring out the briny, tangy flavor of clams.
Although most recipes for clams steamed in beer call for the beer and the clams to be cooked together just until the clams open, the result is a sauce that still has an aggressive raw alcohol taste. I like to reduce the beer by half with some sausage and garlic to cook off some of the alcohol and then add the clams. I finish with a little butter to round out the tangy flavor of the sauce.
With some buttered bread on the side to mop up the sauce, this is a perfect summer meal.
Clams steamed in beer
Serves 4.
Ingredients
6 ounces hard sausage, such as Spanish chorizo, diced
6 cloves garlic, sliced
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups wheat beer, such as Hoegaarden
2 pounds Manila or Littleneck clams, scrubbed
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Juice of half a lemon
Directions
In a large pan, sweat the sausage and garlic in 1 tablespoon of the butter for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the beer and reduce by half. Add the clams and cover, shaking the pan every 20 seconds until the clams open. Swirl in the remaining butter and add the parsley and lemon. Serve with buttered levain or other bread.
