Clams Casino

Ingredients

• 24 littleneck clams
• 6 slices bacon
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• Rock salt for the pan

Before you cook

• Scrub the clams and keep them on ice until shucking.
• Finely chop the bell pepper, shallot, and parsley, and mince the garlic.
• Cut each bacon slice crosswise into four pieces.
• Spread a 1/2-inch bed of rock salt on a rimmed baking sheet.

Steps

1. Cook the bacon pieces in a skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the fat has rendered but the bacon is still limp.
2. Drain the bacon on paper towels and leave 1 tablespoon of fat in the skillet.
3. Cook the bell pepper, shallot, and garlic in the bacon fat over medium heat for 5 minutes, until soft.
4. Scrape the vegetables into a bowl and let them cool for 10 minutes.
5. Beat the softened butter into the cooled vegetables along with the parsley, lemon juice, and cayenne.
6. Shuck the clams, working the knife along the hinge, and leave each clam loose in its deeper half shell.
7. Nestle the shells in the rock salt so they sit level.
8. Spoon about a teaspoon of the casino butter over each clam.
9. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the tops and lay a piece of bacon on each one.
10. Set an oven rack 6 inches below the broiler and heat the broiler to high.
11. Broil the clams for 4 to 6 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the butter is bubbling.
12. Serve straight from the pan with lemon wedges.