A Food Festival-Worthy Clam Hash From ‘A Chef’s Life’
Things get a little clammy in the all new episode of A Chef’s Life as chef and restaurant owner Vivian Howard comes face-to-face with the Charleston Wine and Food Festival, a major event in the world of Southern cooking. “This is one that I’ve always wanted to participate in,” she says.
After choosing clams as her ingredient of choice the festival, Howard goes into preparation mode. “I’ve never been clamming before,” the chef says as she heads out on a small fishing boat to catch the mollusks.
Once she has her hands on some shellfish, Howard learns how to make a classic clam hash that’s sure to please the crowd. However, she still feels intimidated by the festival itself, saying, “I’ve never cooked clams in mass or a big group… so I’m a little bit concerned about how it’s all going to go down, cooking 500 clams at one time.” Tune in to this week’s episode of A Chef’s Life to see how the festival unfolds, and to try clam hash for yourself check out the recipe below.
Check your local PBS listings to find out when A Chef’s Life airs in your area.
Frank Lee’s Clam Hash
Recipe by Frank Lee: My family vacationed at Pawleys Island starting in the early 1930’s. My great Aunt Arnie Robinson Childs had a beachfront home in the 50s called, appropriately, “the A.R.C.,” toward the north end of the island. She had a Gullah cook for over 25 years named Daisy Smalls. Daisy was a wonderful person and everything she cooked went straight to my soul. It was Daisy who turned the clams we would catch into this humble but delicious hash.
The recipe is more method than amounts. So in honor of Daisy Smalls I offer you my interpretation of her clam hash.
Serves 4 people
12-16 medium to large clams (shells scrubbed, shucked raw, cleaned of muddy sack, chopped)
8 slices bacon
1 medium onion chopped
6-8 saltine crackers
2 large tablespoons chopped parsley
Soak clams in icy water. Scrub the shells and clean the clams of any muddy parts.
Over a large bowl, shuck the clams (NOTE: I use a sharp knife and hand protection for this step).
Separate the clams from the liquid. Be sure to remove any little pieces of shell from the shucking. Strain and reserve remaining juice to remove shell and grit. Save liquid. Chop the clams.
Cook the bacon crisp in a large skillet (I like a 9-10” cast iron) – remove, reserve bacon. Pour off most of the fat and add the onion, cook until tender.
Add the chopped clams and the juice. Bring to a quick simmer.
Crumble the saltines in the hash to thicken – remove from heat.
Just before serving, add the chopped parsley and crumble the bacon on top. Daisy would serve the hash over stone ground whole grits with soft scrambled eggs and sliced tomato.
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