This recipe for steamed clams is from "Off the hook: reflections & recipes from an old salt" By roger fitzgerald. Recipes by susan volland (ten speed press). Bacon, onion, garlic, and beer flavor the steamed-clams sauce. Water or chicken stock may be substituted for the beer, but do use the beer if at all possible. It lends incredible flavor. The beauty of this dish is that it comes together in about 30 minutes. Manila clams are called for in this recipe. Originally from the shores of china, they now grow in the wild in the pacific northwest (where they're sometimes called seattle clams), and also are farmed along with other bivalves like mussels and oysters. They are considered to be among the sweetest and smallest hard-shell clams, usually less than 3 inches across. Manila clams need only about 3 to 5 minutes to steam open, while other varieties, like the pacific littleneck clam, which is a good substitute for the manila, requires longer cooking. Recipe reprinted with permission from off the hook: reflections & recipes from an old salt by roger fitzgerald (ten speed press).
