& Lemony Old Bay Mayo
Clams with Fries, the perfect recipe for your next cookout! The idea with this is that you steam clams with garlic, shallot, olive oil and white wine + a secret ingredient 😉 , which creates the most flavorful broth. Then you add a bunch of fries to the bowl of clams and broth, making sure some sink to the bottom to soak up all of the goodness, leaving the fries on top crispy and perfect for dipping in the lemony, Old Bay mayo that’s served along side.
It’s super quick and easy to prepare, even for a seafood novice like me.
It’s true, seafood is my Achilles heel. I tend to overcook it which usually leads to an unpleasantly rubbery texture but with this foolproof recipe, it’s impossible to screw it up, I promise. If you’re a seafood expert, you’ll be able to make this with your eyes closed but please don’t 😉
I got Cavendish Restaurant Style fries and cooked them in the oven. I left them a few minutes longer than the package instructed to get them golden and very crispy. I figured that since some fries would be soaking in the broth, I didn’t want them to get overly soggy. If you prefer to make yours deep fried or in the air fryer, by all means do so! I’m sure they’ll be great. I never met a French fry I didn’t like 😉
Season them with salt or with your favourite spice blend including Old Bay Seasoning if you prefer.
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Clam Frites with Lemony Old- Bay Mayo
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 2 French shallots diced
- 1 bunch cilantro or parsley
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil + more for drizzling
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 tsp Better than Bouillon (Costco) Optional but delicious or use 1-2 bouillon cubes
- 1 pound store bought frozen french fries
- 2-3 lb littleneck clams @oysterblood
Lemony-Old Bay Mayo
- 1/4 Cup Mayonnaise Kewpie or Vegenaise
- 1/2 Tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Pinches Old Bay Seasoning or to taste
- Chives thinly sliced
- a few drops lemon juice
- a little lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450.
- Place clams in a large bowl set inside your sink. Submerge in cold water, add a small handful of salt and let them sit to expel sand.
- Cook frozen french fries, according to package instructions, bake until golden and crisp.
- Meanwhile, chop garlic
- Dice shallots
- Chop cilantro leaves and stems. Measure out your wine
- Drain clams in a colander & rinse.
- In a small bowl, combine mayo ingredients, taste, adjust as needed and set aside.
- Set a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add extra virgin olive oil, swirling to coat the bottom of the pot. Once hot (not smoking) add garlic and shallots.
- Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the garlic is soft and very fragrant but not yet brown at the edges, 1-3 minutes (depending how hot your oil is).
- Immediately add the cleaned clams and stir well to coat in the oil.
- Pour in wine, bouillon paste, quickly stir to combine and then pop on a tight fitting lid. Cook, taking a peak occasionally, plucking out any clams that open and transferring them to a large serving bowl as you go. This process could take about 5-10 minutes but as long you’re removing the open ones as you go, they won’t overcook.
- Once all the clams have opened, remove the pot from heat. Stir in the chopped cilantro and squeeze in the juice of half of a lemon. Pour the broth over the clams. Or pour some & reserve some for later. Drizzle the clams with more fresh olive oil.
- Transfer some of the cooked french fries to the bowl of clams, scattering them over and allowing them to sink into the broth. Serve remaining fries in the side. Serve with more lemon.
