It's an overcast, gray afternoon in Astoria, Oregon. There's a chill in the misty, salty air, partly from the proximity of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean and partly from being February. A group of friends - some are fishermen, some are seafood processors and one is a chef - meet at fairly secluded area of rocky beach just south of the jetty and the wreck of the Peter Iredale. It's low tide and it's time to go digging for razor clams.
Cleaning razors in the shell isn't difficult but is a bit time consuming and ultimately rewarding.
- Briefly place calms in the shell into very hot water (just under boiling) and immediately place them into ice water.
- Using a sharp knife, cut off the black tip of the siphon.
- Open the body from the base of the foot to the tip of the siphon.
- Remove the gills, palps (mouth parts) and the stomach. Slit the digger so that it will lie flat. Pick out the small intestine that runs through the foot.
- Rinse in cold water and the clam steak is ready to cook.
Pan-Fried Pacific Razor Clams with a Warm Bacon & Onion Salad
For the Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
- 1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
- ¾ cup sherry vinegar 1½ cups bacon fat, warm
- ½ cup non-GMO vegetable oil
- ½ cup roughly chopped bacon, approximately 4 slices (not very crispy is best)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
For the Onion Salad
- 1 red onion, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced (use a mandolin)
- 1 leek, white part only, cleaned, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced into half rings
- 1 fennel bulb with fronds, bulb cut in half and thinly sliced (use a mandolin), fronds finely chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
For the Razor Clams 4 large Pacific razor clams, cleaned and in "steak" form
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- ½ cup non-GMO vegetable oil
To Prepare the Warm Bacon Vinaigrette: Place the shallot and vinegar in a blender. Purée until a paste is formed. While the blender is running, slowly and carefully pour the bacon fat and the oil into the purée until an emulsion is formed. Periodically, stop the blender and scrape down the vinaigrette. Remove the vinaigrette and add the chopped bacon and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
To Prepare the Onion Salad: Combine the onions, fennel, salt, pepper and ½- to ¾-cup of the warm bacon vinaigrette. Reserve.
To Prepare the Razor Clams: Lay the clam meat out on a cutting board. Gently pound with a meat mallet. Combine the flour, salt and both peppers. Dredge the clam meat with the flour mixture, shaking off any excess flour. Place a heavy skillet, preferably a cast iron skillet, over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. When hot, add the clams in batches. Do not overcrowd. Pan-fry for approximately 30 seconds, then flip the clams and continue cooking for an additional 30 second on the other side.
NOTE: It is important not to overcook the clams or they will be tough and allow the oil to heat back up in between each round of cooking your clams. Remove the clams from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a grate.
Repeat until all clams are cooked.
To Serve: Place a small pile of onion salad in the middle of the plate. Place a razor clam on top of the salad and drizzle additional vinaigrette over and around.
Substitutions and Options: Squid can be used in place of the razor clams. If you do not want to use bacon, make a mustard vinaigrette by adding 1 teaspoon Dijon or whole grain mustard and substitute extra virgin olive for the bacon fat.
Wine Notes: Razors have a natural sweet-nutty taste that is accentuated by the toasting of the flour in this quick pan-fry. Even though most unoaked, dry white wines will match with clams, a Willamette Valley Pinot Gris will make this dish extraordinary.
Recommended: Oak Knoll, Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, Oregon ($14) is a zesty, lively and fragrant wine bursting with intense tree fruit flavors. It doesn't use oak or any malolactic fermentation allowing for the grape's natural richness, texture, depth, and complexity to shine. It's also a great value.
Makes 4 appetizer servings
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