Ingredients:

Yield: 24 clams

24 littleneck clams
crushed ice
Spicy lemon sauce (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Scrub the clams under cold water with a stiff brush to remove the dirt.
   
2. Find a durable thick cloth and fold it over several times to create a square; this will steady the clams as you shuck them and also protect your hand.
   
3. Using the towel as a mitt, hold the clam firmly in the palm of your towel-covered hand; have a small bowl handy to catch the delicious juice.
   
4. Insert the tip of a clam knife between the shell halves and work it around one side to the other as you pry it open.
   
5. Using the knife, cut the muscles away from the top shell, bend the shell back and discard it. Run the knife underneath the clam to detach it completely, but leave it in its shell (take care not to cut the meat itself).
   
6. Nestle the clams in a bed of crushed ice to keep them steady.
   
7. Spoon the spicy lemon sauce on top and serve as part of a raw shellfish bar.

Spicy Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

Yield: 3/4-cup

1/4-cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1/4-cup dry white wine
1 Tbs. hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
2 large shallots, minced
pinch of sea salt
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
zest of 1 lemon

Directions:

1. In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients.
   
2. Cover and store at room temperature for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
   
3. Serve with clams on the half shell.

Resource

Santa Monica Seafood
Santa Monica, Calif.
www.santamonicaseafood.com
This family-run business has been the premier fish and seafood retailer in Southern California for years. They carry the freshest and widest selection of seafood anywhere in the Southland.