Clams Casino

Gather the ingredients.

To purge clams of sand and grit, fill a large bowl or pot with 1 gallon of cold water and stir in 2 tablespoons of the sea salt until the salt dissolves. Add 28 medium littleneck clams to the salted water and let soak in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Drain the clams into a colander and rinse under cold running water, scrubbing to clean the shells. Tap any open-shelled clams: if the shells do not close then the clam is dead and should be discarded.

Place the clams in a medium clean bowl, cover with a damp paper towel, and set the bowl inside a second, large bowl filled with ice. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Stir together 1/2 cup panko and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon sea salt in a small bowl; set aside.

Place 3 slices chopped bacon in a large Dutch oven and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon has rendered its fat and is starting to become crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Carefully remove about 1 tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat from the pot and add to panko mixture in bowl; stir to combine and set aside.

Add 1 cup finely chopped shallots to the pot with the bacon and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the shallots soften, about 4 minutes.

Add 1/3 cup dry white wine and the clams to the pot and cover. Cook over medium, undisturbed, until the clam shells have opened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Using tongs, remove the opened clams from the pot and place on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet; set aside. If any clams are still closed, re-cover the pot and place it back over medium heat. Cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes; add the opened clams to baking sheet with other clams. Discard any clams that did not open.

Increase the heat to medium-high. Continue to cook the shallot and bacon mixture, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, 5 to 8 minutes.

Using a microplane, grate 3 cloves garlic directly into the pot with the shallot mixture. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, if using.

Transfer the shallot mixture to a small bowl and let stand at room temperature until cool, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup softened butter until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Twist and bend the tops of the clam shells to separate them from the bottom shells; discard the top shells.

Using a small spoon, loosen and separate the cooked clams from the bottom shells, leaving the clams in the shells. Return the clams to the baking sheet and spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the softened bacon-shallot butter over each clam. (At this point, the clams can be covered and refrigerated overnight.)

Stir together 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil into the panko mixture in bowl. Top each butter-topped clam with about 1 teaspoon of the panko mixture, lightly pressing to adhere.

Bake until the panko is light golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer the clams to a platter and serve immediately with lemon wedges.