Clams Casino

Published May 14, 2024

Clams Casino
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
55 minutes
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(24)
Notes
Read community notes

The word “casino” in Italian translates to “mess.” In the world of baked stuffed clam dishes, this makes sense, as clams casino has a bit more going on than, say, the more understated clams oreganata. That bit, in fact, is mostly made up of bacon, cooked bell peppers and onions. They are joined by Parmesan, fresh parsley, dried oregano, garlic and plenty of butter. With so many delicious flavors involved, this mess of a dish is hardly a gamble.

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Ingredients

Yield:24 clams (8 servings)
  • 4bacon strips
  • ¼cup finely diced red bell pepper
  • ¼cup finely diced white or yellow onion
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Crushed red pepper
  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • ½cup plain bread crumbs
  • ¼cup grated Parmesan
  • ¼cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1teaspoon dried oregano
  • 24littleneck clams, scrubbed and rinsed
  • ¼cup salted butter (½ stick), cut into 24 small cubes
  • Lemon wedges, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the stuffing: Place bacon strips in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crispy on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove bacon from the pan, leaving bacon grease behind, and set aside. Add bell pepper and onion to the pan with a pinch of salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes more.

  2. Step 2

    Remove the pan from heat, add bread crumbs and stir to combine with the pepper and onion mixture, soaking up all of the bacon fat as you go. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, and add the Parmesan, half the parsley, all the oregano and a pinch of salt. Crumble bacon into small bits and add to the bowl too. Stir to combine, and set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Prepare the clams: Return the same sauté pan to medium heat. Add ½ cup water and bring to a simmer. Add the clams in an even layer. Cover the pan and steam the clams. Check every few minutes, using tongs to transfer clams to a large bowl as they open, until all the clams have opened, about 10 minutes. Clam broth can be strained and saved for another use.

  4. Step 4

    Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Meanwhile, let the clams cool until they’re safe to handle. Working one at a time over the bowl, pry the top shell off of the clam, twisting at the hinge to help if needed. Place a single cube of butter on top of the clam, still attached to the bottom shell, and cover with a heaping teaspoon of the bread crumb mixture. Place the stuffed clam onto a rimmed baking sheet and repeat with the remaining clams.

  5. Step 5

    Bake the clams until the butter has melted and the bread crumbs are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with the rest of the parsley and lemon wedges. Serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5
24 user ratings
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Yum! Very close to my own recipe, but I quickly steam the clams first, then remove the meat from the shells, chop, and incorporate into the breadcrumb mixture; fill the shells and bake. You can also change the ratio of clam to filling ie steam 18 clams but only fill 12 shells.

Beautiful childhood food memory. My parents’s good friends would serve these by the dozen at their Christmas tree trimming party. I haven’t thought of this in 55 years.

I made this as written and it was spectacular.

I always use top necks. I always add pimento. Does anyone else? No salt and no butter.

How could Parm and bacon possibly clash??

I saved larger shells. They clean perfectly in the dishwasher. Then, I can make clams casino with whole canned clams with lots of garlic and breadcrumbs...

Why not separate the clam from the shell to make it easier (and less messy) to eat?

I have the same question.... I always separate the clam from the shell. Much easier to eat. Also, sometimes I put 2 clams in a shell if they are small.

Little necks are too small. Use middle or top necks.

Totally agree little necks would result in a clam shell filled with the other ingredients.

This is the recipe I’ve searched for! My favorite restaurant version is so much better than what I’ve tried to make, but this is it! I prefer the tenderness of littlenecks in this (and everything but chowder). I’ve tried chopping cherrystones, but they easily toughen when heated after steaming.

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