2
Produced by Aimee Nishitoba; Photography by Carmen Cheung; Food Styling by Matthew Kimura; Prop Styling by Madeleine Johari; Illustrations by Emily Chu.
Littleneck clams shine after a quick beer bath and a squeeze of lemon. Drizzle them with drawn butter or hot sauce.—Soo Kim
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup lager
1 kg littleneck clams, cleaned (see Kitchen tip)
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
2 to 3 tbsp chopped herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, chives or thyme (optional)
Melt butter in a large pot or skillet over medium and cook until light brown and nutty, 4 min. Add lager and bring to a boil; reduce for 1 min.
Add clams and lemon slices and stir to combine. Cover and cook on medium-high until clams open, 5 to 6 min. Sprinkle with herbs and stir to combine. Remove clams with a slotted spoon and let cool on a plate before serving.
Further reduce butter-beer sauce, if desired. Drizzle over clams, or serve in skillet with bread.
Place unpackaged clams in a bowl covered with a wet towel in the fridge for up to 2 days. To remove sand, soak in cold, salted water for 30 min and rinse.
Top off this dish with our drawn butter recipe.
Subscribe to Chatelaine!
Want to streamline your life? In our Spring 2025 issue, we’ll show you how—whether it’s paring down your wardrobe, decluttering your messiest spaces or spending way less time cooking thanks to an easy, mostly make-ahead meal plan for busy weeknights. Plus, our first annual Pantry Awards.