Sweetie's Clams Casino

My youngest sister Leigh is such a sweetie that that's what we call her . . . Sweetie. She made these Clams Casino for Thanksgiving.


In Sweetie's words:
* my words

Way back when..... when Didi and Glenn (Didi's husband) worked at John Dominis restaurant....... when I was still in college ..... I was introduced to the restaurant's hot selection appetizer plate. On this plate was Clam's Casino..... among several other delectable delights. It has remained one of my favorite appetizers. I never managed to obtain their recipe but this is my adaptation of something from my past.

A broiler sheet amount of fresh clams in the shell, rinsed - we had dollar-coin sized clams from Tamashiro market, Michael (Sweetie's husband) said we had 100, I didn't think so

2 red bell peppers, diced into 1/4 in cubes
1 small round onion, diced into 1/4 in cubes
1/2 package of bacon strips, or 3-6 strips, sliced into 1/4 in - amount depends on your preference - I like a lot of bacon

Michael's version: the ratio is: 3 parts bell pepper, 2 parts onion, 1 part bacon..... he insists I include this

2 Tbsp butter or 1 Tbsp butter and any extra clam juice that you saved from a can of clams that you used to make clam dip....
-place clams into a pot with 1 inch H20 with whatever aeromatic seasoning you want: we used celery salt and Old Bay seasoning....however much 'fusion' you desire (you can tell that's Michael's term and measurements) and heat/steam until clam shells open up, remove from heat as soon as clam shells open - otherwise clams get rubbery and chewy
-let cool
-while that's cooking.... saute bacon, onions and bell peppers in butter/clam juice until onions translucent and bacon fat is reduced
-let cool
-split clam shells in half and save the side that has the clam meat in it (tee hee)
--rinse off any sand or shell chips
-use spoon edge to pry clam meat off of shell and let meat remain in shell half
-line broiler pan with cleaned clam shells filled with clam meat
-add spoonful of bacon, onion, pepper mixture onto clam/clam shell
-broil for several minutes...low if you have time..... high if you can't wait
-keep your eye on it 'cause it doesn't take long for the bacon,onion,pepper mixture to brown since everything is already cooked
-when bacon is crisp......or before anything burns..... remove from broiler
-cool just a little bit... 'cause it's best when hot.....grab shell and slurp contents off of shell.....
Great when served with baguette slices. (almost as good as my cousin Dennis' baked tako treat)