Clams Casino Recipe

This is a delicious appetizer recipe for stuffed clams with herbs, butter, and a little bacon. These make a great first course or appetizer for a special party.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes

Ingredients:

2 dozen cherrystone clams OR mussels or oysters
rock salt
6 strips bacon
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
3 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon or dill weed
1/2 cup green pepper, finely chopped
few drops Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
fresh ground black pepper

Instructions:

Open the clams (or oysters or mussels) and set aside the best 2 dozen shells. Spread a layer of rock salt in pie pans, and nestle the selected shells in the salt. Fry the bacon gently until it has rendered all of its fat, then drain on paper towels. Mix the butter with the green onions, parsley and herbs, green pepper, Tabasco, lemon juice, and Worcestershire. Put a clam in each shell and top with a dollop of the butter mixture. Grind a little pepper over each. Break up the bacon into 24 pieces, and set a piece on top of each shell.
Broil under a hot broiler for 6 to 8 minutes, until the herb butter is sizzling and the bacon is crisp.