15 Clam Recipes for Summer

Whether you're looking for new takes on classics like clam chowder, fast, flavorful dishes like clams with XO sauce, or comfort food like doenjang jjigae, we've got you covered.

By
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Editor
Mimi Young is an editor and chef.
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Updated June 17, 2024
Broiled clams with tomatoes and tarragon in cast iron skillet beside wooden board with crusty bread

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Growing up, my extended family would gather maybe once a month at one of our go-to Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area, where my grandparents would always let me pick one communal dish for the lazy Susan. And I always chose the same dish: stir-fried clams with fermented black beans. Besides this dish, the only other clam dish I ate (or knew about) when I was young was New England clam chowder.

As much as I loved those stir-fried clams, the idea of actually cooking clams didn't occur to me until I went to cooking school. Culinary school is also where I finally learned why those stir-fried clams were sometimes gritty. Who knew you had to first purge all the sand out of those suckers before cooking them? (Don't worry: All of our recipes include the purging process.) But once you do, a whole world of delicious possibilities, uh hem, opens up.

The briny, bouncy chew of clams works beautifully in a variety of dishes, from New England stuffed clams and chowders to aromatic Asian stir-fries to flavor-packed comforting stews like doenjang jjigae. While fresh clams are prized around the world, don't discount canned clams. Combined with the right ingredients, they can be fantastic in dishes like pasta and dip. Whichever you have on hand, we have a clam recipe that'll work for you.

  • Rhode Island–Style Stuffed Quahog Clams ("Stuffies")

    Overhead view of stuffies on a plate with lemon wedges and fork

    Serious Eats / Kevin White

    Baked stuffed clams are ubiquitous along the New England coastline. These "stuffies" are unique to Rhode Island, comprising a Portuguese-influenced mixture of bread, large briny quahog clams, and smoky chouriço that's cured and loaded with garlic and paprika. Clam cooking liquid amplifies the clam flavor and keeps the stuffing moist.

  • Easy, Ultimate Clams Casino

    Clams Casino displayed on a silver platter

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Clams casino is an old-school hors d'oeuvre aptly named because most "classic" renditions turn perfectly stellar ingredients into a train wreck ("casino" translates to "mess" in Italian). Daniel set out to change all that by using reduced clam cooking liquid to make an intensely flavorful bacon-clam compound butter, which is slathered onto each clam and then finished with a bacon–panko crumb topping. Assembly can be done well ahead so all you have to do is pop those chilled babies into the oven at party time.

  • Broiled Clams With Tomatoes, Butter, and Tarragon

    Broiled clams with burst tomatoes and tarragon in cast iron skillet with crusty bread on wooden board on the side

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    A blast of intense heat from your broiler can magically transform a few simple fresh ingredients into a specular one-skillet meal in minutes. It probably takes longer (but not by much) to purge sand from the clams than to prep and cook them with butter, tomatoes, and garlic. Have plenty of crusty bread on hand to soak up all that heavenly clam liquor.

  • New England Clam Chowder

    New England clam chowder topped with oyster crackers in a white bowl with spoon

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    New England clam chowder is another classic that can do with a bit of an upgrade using some modern techniques. We start with a flavor-packed foundation of crisped salt pork, onion, and celery for the clams to steam in, then reserve the cooked clams and add them back to the soup at the very end to keep them tender. A high-speed blender emulsifies the soup base to a luxuriously thick (but not too thick) creamy consistency without the need for roux—dare we say the new platonic ideal of New England clam chowder?

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  • Rhode Island Clam Chowder With White Wine and Bacon

    Rhode Island clam chowder in a white bowl

    Serious Eats / Daniel Gritzer

    Arguably the clammiest of clam chowders, this lighter Rhode Island version is dairy-free and has a bright rich broth that lets the brininess of the clams shine. It's loaded with tender potatoes and bits of salty bacon.

  • Pacific Razor Clam Chowder

    Pacific razor clam chowder in a white bowl with blue-lined rim

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    This West Coast rendition of clam chowder showcases Pacific razor clams and subs out buttery leeks for onions, adding a splash of dry vermouth and fresh thyme for good measure. A lighter touch with the cream provides just enough dairy richness to yield a velvety texture while keeping the flavor fresh and bright.

  • Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Fermented Bean Paste Stew)

    Korean Fermented Tofu Stew with clams in ceramic bowl

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Fermented bean paste or doenjang jjigae is one of the most popular Korean stews, eaten at all times of the day with plenty of steamed rice on the side. It's also one of the first things many Koreans learn to cook and is easily adapted to any vegetable and protein. Here, clams take the spotlight. They're added last, after the vegetables and doenjang have had time to simmer, to retain their tenderness.

  • Miso Soup With Clams

    Miso soup with clams in a blue and white bowl

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Inspired by the version served at Manhattan's EN Japanese Brasserie, this sophisticated soup puts the briny Manila clam front and center, relying on clam juice for the dashi base instead of the more commonly used shaved bonito.

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  • Stir-Fried Clams With XO Sauce

    Closeup of stir-fried clams with XO sauce and sliced scallion

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    The combination of fresh briny clams and XO sauce is a savory knockout punch that comes together in a matter of minutes. Pull the clams out as soon as they pop open to ensure they don't overcook, then add the XO sauce to the remaining pan juices, simmer, and pour over the clams. Sprinkle on some sliced scallions and dinner is served.

  • Stir-Fried Clams with Thai Chili Jam and Basil

    Stir-fried clams with Thai chile jam and basil in a green plate

    Serious Eats / Leela Punyaratabandhu

    Looking for a spicy kick? Stir-fry fresh clams with Thai chili jam or nam prik pao, which is so packed with flavor you may not even need to add fish sauce. Finish off with lots of aromatic fresh Thai basil.

  • Pizza With Fresh Clams, Garlic, Mozzarella, Romano, and Basil

    Pizza topped with whole clams in shell and basil

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    Clam pies are a specialty in the pizza-centric town of New Haven, but even the most popular joints use pre-shucked clams. Kenji's method of placing whole unshucked clams, hinge side down, on the pie just before baking the pizza on a preheated stone under the broiler ensures they come out perfectly plump and tender without losing a single precious drop of juice.

  • Spaghetti Alle Vongole in Bianco (Spaghetti With White Clam Sauce)

    Fork twirling spaghetti with white clam sauce

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Some would say that the charm of this classic Italian pasta dish is the clamshells entangled in the spaghetti. Others, like Daniel, would ardently disagree. Cooked clams are plucked out of their shells and added back to the pasta at the end so the dish is easier to eat. Save a few shells to garnish the plate so your guests will know you used fresh clams.

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  • Spaghetti With Canned-Clam Sauce

    Overhead view of pasta with canned-clam sauce

    Serious Eats / Sho Spaeth

    Okay, sometimes you just can't get your hands on some fresh bivalves for your pasta. The solution? Zhuzh up canned clam with soy sauce for a bit of umami, add some butter for dairy richness, and finish off with celery leaves for freshness.

  • Clams Casino Dip

    Clams Casino Dip plattered with crackers, grilled crostini, celery sticks, and lemon wedges

    Serious Eats / Morgan Eisenberg

    This is the perfect recipe to make if you want the retro vibes of clams casino but don't want to bother with making the real deal (and I mean Daniel's new and improved version). Canned clams make prep easy while providing plenty of clammy goodness. Taking a page from Daniel's playbook, bacon-fat toasted panko crumbs layer on more flavor.

  • Clams With Tequila and Chorizo

    A bowl of clams with tequila and chorizo
    Serious Eats / Marvin Gapultos.

    Mexican chorizo, tequila, and fresh clam juice are what make this dish an awesome bar snack.

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