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Garlic Butter Steamer Clams — a quick and flavorful recipe featuring New England soft-shell clams (steamers), cooked in garlic herb butter and white wine, ready in just 15 minutes. Perfect for seafood lovers seeking an easy yet delicious meal.
Steamer Clams
Last weekend, we visited Redondo Beach to celebrate my friend’s birthday. Redondo Beach is one of my favorite places in the Los Angeles area, not only for its spectacular views and beautiful beaches but also for its incredible seafood.
If you’re a local or have visited Redondo Beach, you’ll know it’s renowned for its fresh seafood. Numerous seafood shacks sell everything from fresh oysters to blue crab and Dungeness crab, lobster, various types of clams like razor clams and more, attracting both locals and tourists alike.
Whenever I go there, I always buy steamer clams; I’m absolutely in love with these clams. They have thin, fragile white shells with a siphon sticking out, which is why they’re also called soft-shell clams in some regions. They aren’t easily available on the West Coast of the United States, typically found along the Atlantic coast.
If you’re not on the Atlantic coast, finding steamer clams might be difficult, but you can certainly use any clams available in your area, such as Manila clams.
For an Asian-inspired clam dish, you might want to try Thai steamed clams, Korean clam soup, or Japanese steamed clams.
Sidenote: Technically, ‘soft-shell clam’ refers to various types of clams with thin shells. However, along the Atlantic coast, ‘soft-shell clam’ mostly refers to steamer clams.
The Best Steamer Clams Recipe
Soft-shell clams are incredibly sweet and briny, with tender, juicy flesh, typically range in size from about 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) in length. The flesh has a smooth consistency that is slightly chewy when cooked properly.
The best way to enjoy them is steamed with garlic, herbs, butter, and white wine. The clam juice is savory and absolutely delicious, and you may not even need salt in the recipe! I always savor every drop of it. Alternatively, you can soak it up with slices of French baguette. You may also enjoy the broth with a squeeze of lemon juice or a sprinkle of black pepper, depending on your taste preferences.
Overall, the clam juice from steamer clams is prized for its briny, seafood-rich taste and can be enjoyed in various ways to fully appreciate its essence.
Why is my New England garlic butter steamers recipe the best? Here are the reasons:
- Easy prep and short cooking time: Seafood lovers rejoice because this recipe is incredibly easy and quick to prepare, giving you more time to savor the deliciousness of the clams.
- Versatile recipe: Serve the clams as they are, or pair them with a simple spaghetti dish. If you’re short on time, simply boil spaghetti and serve it with the clams and their savory broth as the main entrée.
Garlic Butter Steamers Ingredients
This steamer clams recipe calls for only a few main ingredients:
- Steamers or soft shell clams
- Garlic
- Butter
- White Wine
- Parsley
This recipe for steamer clams is incredibly simple, easy, and quick, ready in just 15 minutes from prep to dinner table. Refer to the recipe card for detailed ingredient information.
How To Clean and Cook Steamer Clams
The cooking process is absolutely straight forward and involves only two simple steps below:
How to Clean: To clean steamer clams, first discard any rotten or open clams. Next, soak the clams in salted water for 20-30 minutes to remove sand. Scrub the shells with a soft brush and rinse under cold water.
Step 1: Heat up a small pot and add the melted butter. Sauté the garlic until you smell the aroma, but not browned. Steam the soft shell clams in the pot, stirring to combine well. Add the white wine and cover the pot with its lid.
Step 2: Steam and cook for about 5 minutes, or until all the clams have opened up. Add parsley and salt to taste. Serve immediately with crusty bread.
Pro Tip: Discard any clams that remain unopened after cooking, as they may be bad. Additionally, avoid consuming clams with partially open shells that emit an unpleasant odor.
Sidenote: The black coloration on the top of siphon is natural pigmentation, due to by environmental factors in their habitat. It’s normal and you do not need to cut off the black end on the siphon of a steamer clam. You may pull of and remove the membrane covering the siphon and eat the rest of it.
Helpful Tips For Home Cooks
- Fresh live clams: Choose fresh, live clams with closed shells. Do not use frozen clams.
- Cleaning clams: Soak clams in salted water to remove grit and sand before cooking.
- Garlic butter: Sauté fresh garlic in butter until fragrant, being careful not to burn it, before adding the clams.
- Do not overcook: Steam clams just until they open (about 5 minutes), discard any that don’t open.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely yes! If steamer clams are not available, you can certainly use Manila clams as a substitute. Check out my garlic butter sauteed clams recipe.
Technically yes, but I really do not recommend using frozen clams for this recipe.
Discard any clams that remain closed after cooking, as they may be bad. Additionally, any clams with an unpleasant odor should not be consumed.
Leftover clam broth is perfect as a base for seafood chowder or clam chowder, offering rich umami flavor. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days, or freeze it in a container for longer storage.
Soft-shell clams are relatively low in cholesterol compared to other types of seafood. They are rich in protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12.
This steamers recipe is only 211 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Steamer Clams
This recipe is best enjoyed with crusty bread to soak up the broth, simple pasta like linguine or spaghetti, a green salad, roasted vegetables, and corn on the cob. For a complete New England-style meal at home, I recommend pairing with the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
If you are a seafood lover like me, you will love these recipes.
Garlic Butter Steamer Clams Recipe (Soft Shell Clams)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 lbs steamer clams , soft shell clams, cleaned and scrubbed
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a small pot and add the melted butter. Sauté the garlic until fragrant, but not browned. Add the soft shell clams to the pot, stirring to combine. Pour in the white wine and cover the pot with its lid.
- Steam and cook for about 5 minutes, or until all the clams have opened. Add parsley and salt to taste. Serve immediately with crusty bread.
Notes
- Choose fresh, live clams with closed shells. Do not use frozen clams.
- To clean steamer clams, first discard any rotten or open clams. Next, soak the clams in salted water for 20-30 minutes to remove sand. Scrub the shells with a soft brush and rinse under cold water.
- Sauté fresh garlic in butter until fragrant, being careful not to burn it, before adding the clams.
- Discard any clams that remain unopened as they may be bad.
- The black coloration on the top of siphon is natural pigmentation, due to by environmental factors in their habitat. It’s normal and you do not need to cut off the black end on the siphon of a steamer clam. You may pull of and remove the membrane covering the siphon and eat the rest of it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
can I use chicken or vegetable broth instead of white wine?
Yes, you can use chicken broth. If you can find seafood broth, use it.
WOW ! Excellent ! Just make sure to purge until water is clean.
Thanks Gary for the 5 stars rating. I am so happy you love the steamers recipe! :)
Why did you not mention what TYPE of WHITE WINE? There’s a big difference between a dry chardonnay and a sweeter Riesling. It’s bound to make a difference. Sadly, I had to give it a rating WITHOUT trying it first. I’ll definitely try if IF I hear back on my question.
Delicious with crusty bread. I added some chopped shallots I had too. Yes pull off covering to neck, but enjoy those tender guts and the slightly chewy neck. My dad always called that the handle to hold to dip these sweet clams in butter.
Third time I’m making these, there so easy and delicious, I soak them in salt water first to get the sand out.
Yes! Thanks for trying my recipe. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
They are good. But first remove the siphon and guts, don’t want to eat that.
If you remove the siphon and guts, what do you eat? Real New Englanders remove only the membrane covering the snout and eat the rest of it. The soft “belly” part is excellent tasting!!
Delicious with crusty bread. I added some chopped shallots I had too. Yes pull off covering to neck, but enjoy those tender guts and the slightly chewy neck. My dad always called that the handle to hold to dip these sweet clams in butter.
Never remove the siphon, just peel it. And the bellies are the best part… you must not be from New England.
This is one recipe that I’m trying as soon as I get these clams.. I look forward to all your recipes.. Have tried a few and they are all fantastic!
Jeannette – steamers are hard to come by unless you go to seafood stores, but but you can use Manila clams, or any hard-shell clams. :)