Vivian Howard Takes On Charleston Wine and Food in ‘A Chef’s Life’
Vivian Howard feels the heat this week on her PBS documentary series, A Chef’s Life, as she travels to the Charleston Wine and Food Festival to show off her culinary chops. Howard, a chef and restaurant owner from North Carolina, had previously settled on featuring a clam hash as her festival dish, but begins to have second thoughts.
“I tossed and turned all night and came in here today and decided to change what I was doing,” Howard says. Just 30 minutes before he dish is slated to be served she begins “desperately trying to peel shrimp,” in order to complete her new vision. To see what dish she settles on and how the festival plays out, tune into this week’s episode.
Check your local PBS listings to find out when A Chef’s Life airs in your area. To make Vivian’s favorite clam hash, get the recipe below.
Photo Courtesy of A Chef’s Life
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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