Add bacon and grease to dried corn bread crumbles. Remove from heat and fold in mustard greens.įor the crumbles, put the bacon in a skillet large enough to hold it in one layer and cook it over medium-low heat, stirring frequently so that it doesn’t burn, until the fat is released and the pieces of bacon are crispy, four to five minutes. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add crushed tomato, hot sauce, lemon juice, sugar, and bay leaf. Vigorously whisk in milk and tomato purée, trying to avoid lumps. Cook until mixture has aroma of baked corn bread, about eight minutes. Add cornmeal and flour and stir constantly on low heat. Top with a little bacon and drizzle with some melted butter.For the tomato gravy, melt lard in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. The rest is easy: mix a little panko, garlic, chives and salt in a dish and sprinkle it over each clam. I left the rest to YouTube, watching a couple videos and then having a go at it myself. First challenge: I have never shucked a clam. On a recent trip, he brought me a dozen so I decided to give clams casino a try.

We gobble up pots of them steamed with a little melted butter Mom makes her famous New England clam chowder, and every once in a while, Dad makes clams casino. I’ve watched for years as he shucks them and eats them raw (a delicacy I’ve only recently been willing to try). Whenever he’s there, he watches the tides then heads out into the bay to dig hundreds of fresh clams, and sometimes a few oysters.

Once we board the ferry, we are craving fresh lobster rolls (our favorite is from the Black Dog Tavern), grilled swordfish and, of course, dad’s clams. Summers on the Vineyard are all about fresh seafood. Clams casino are an easy appetizer using fresh clams topped with garlic, breadcrumbs, chives, bacon and butter.

How to make clams casino