Name: Beer-Steamed Littleneck Clams
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 50 littleneck clams; water for soaking the clams; 2 small handfuls of salt ((for soaking the clams)); 12 ounces beer; 12 ounces water; bay leaf; 3 tablespoons butter; lemon wedges for serving; bread for dipping in the broth

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Beer-Steamed Littleneck Clams are so good dipped in melted butter! Plus, I'm sharing tips for how to clean clams. It's fun to have a mini clambake at home!

Are clambakes a big deal where you live? They are here in Northeast Ohio.

More clams are sold in the Cleveland area than anywhere in the U.S., outside of New England. The typical Cleveland clambake includes steamed littlenecks, clam chowder, chicken, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, plus any number of side dishes like coleslaw and mac ʼn cheese.

But, the clams are the best part, as far as my hubby and I are concerned. He’s a native New Englander and has lots of experience cooking shellfish.

I’m sharing his littleneck clams recipe, which involves steaming them with beer. Plus, I'll give you tips for cleaning them. But first, let me provide some background.

What's a littleneck?

Known for having the best flavor, littlenecks are the smallest type of hard-shell clams (“quahogs.”) They’re named after Little Neck Bay in Long Island, which used to be a popular clamming location. But they live in abundance north of Oregon.

Littlenecks, along with cherrystone clams, are considered the best clams to eat raw, but I only serve them cooked! (Cherrystones are similar to littlenecks but are a tad larger.)

Side view of littleneck clams in a bowl with lemon

Littlenecks vs. steamers

You might be wondering about the difference between littlenecks and steamers. While littlenecks have a hard shell, steamers have a soft shell. And soft-shell clams are often referred to as “steamers” or “fryers” because they’re never eaten raw.

How to clean them

There’s nothing worse than a mouthful of gritty sand when you’re trying to enjoy a clambake! Here's how to clean littlenecks:

Fill a large pot or bowl with cold water and a small handful of salt. Set the pot next to the sink.
Rinse each clam under a light stream of cold water from the faucet while using a brush to scrub off any dirt.
Place the scrubbed clams in the salted water to soak for 15 minutes, which will draw out the sand.
Transfer them to a colander and rinse them. Drain and rinse the pot.

handful of salt, scrub brush with clam under water, clams soaking and clams being rinsed

5. Fill the pot or bowl once more with salted water and soak the clams again for 15 minutes.

6. Drain and rinse the clams before steaming them.

How to steam clams

For this recipe, you'll need beer, water and a bay leaf to make the broth. It helps to have a steamer pot to cook the clams, but if you don't, I've provided instructions in the recipe notes.

I have a steamer pot similar to this one (affiliate link), but if you're cooking for a large group, you might want to check out this seafood pot (affiliate link).

Place equal parts beer and water in a pot that fits your steamer basket. Add the bay leaf, cover and bring to a boil.

pot of beer broth with bay leaf next to striped napkin

Uncover the pot, add the steamer basket of clams and cover again. Steam them until they open wide, removing each one with tongs as soon as it's ready.

Some will open after seven minutes or so, while others will take up to 25 minutes. Discard any that remain closed after that time.

What parts to eat

You're going to want to eat the meat from the clam shell. The best way to do that is to use a small fork (but regular will do) to poke the meat and pull it out of its shell. Keep a small bowl handy for each person to discard the shells.

Dip the clams in melted butter with a squeeze of lemon, or in the beer broth used for cooking. And, don't forget to dip some Italian bread in that juice or melted buttah!

How many clams per person?

You’ll need a pound of clams (with shells) per person. There are about 10-13 littlenecks per pound.

A bag of 50 littlenecks weighs about four pounds and should serve four. Keep in mind, any clams that don’t open after steaming will need to be discarded, so you’ll lose a few.

Now that you know what to do, I hope you'll give this recipe a try!

Enjoy!

P.S. If you love clams, don't miss these other recipes!

(Recipe Source: My hubby for Cooking with Mamma C. Originally published on September 22, 2016 and updated now with new photos and text.)

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