The factor concerning the BLT is that it’s a system that you may add something to: spice, smoked salmon, avocado, cheese. What if, I believed some weeks in the past, you utilized the flavors of a BLT to one thing else? What in the event you gave quick-cooking clams the bacon, lettuce and tomato remedy?
At first, I believed I may make a salad, with lettuce, contemporary tomatoes, croutons and bacon bits, and add steamed clams on prime. This turned out to be boring. The person parts have been advantageous on their very own, however there was no sauce to tie them collectively. Plus, one of the best elements of the BLT — ripe tomato and smoky bacon — didn’t get an opportunity to taste the clams. I attempted including a creamy dressing, but it surely did not assist.
Get the recipe: BLT Clams
For my subsequent try, I believed croutons cooked in bacon fats is likely to be a tasty solution to mingle two of the elements. The bacon croutons have been implausible — I ate virtually all of them in a single sitting, popping them into my mouth like popcorn. Then, I sweated the tomatoes and lettuce for a couple of minutes earlier than including the clams. This gave the clams some taste, however the soggy lettuce was a dealbreaker. The croutons have been additionally tough to eat in the identical chew as a meaty clam.
In the long run, I mashed these two concepts collectively. For my BLT clams, you’ll begin by making bacon breadcrumbs: Saute chopped bacon, then stir in panko breadcrumbs, letting them toast within the bacon fats. Scoop them out of the pot and add tomatoes, slightly white wine and clams. (Don’t neglect to wash your clams very effectively! Bits of sand or dust will damage the dish.) Cowl the pot and let the tomatoes soften right into a sauce because the clams cook dinner. They’ll solely take a couple of minutes to peek open, their meat plumping within the tomato-scented steam. As they open, pluck them out of the pot and plop them atop a bowl of chopped romaine. Simmer the tomatoes and wine for a couple of minutes, to cut back it barely, after which pour it over the clams and lettuce — that’s your salad dressing.
All that’s left to do is sprinkle on all of these golden, bacon-scented breadcrumbs. They’ll nestle into every clam, coating them with crunch and rounding out the profitable flavors of a BLT.
Get the recipe: BLT Clams
