Soft Shell Crabs and Clams Casino

 Yesterday The Chef and my daughter came over for dinner.  He is still recovering from his accident so we are taking advantage of the time off he has. He usually works such long hours that we rarely get to see him.  I made them soft shell crabs and clams casino.

 I cooked the clams in a 350 degrees oven until they opened and then removed them from the shells, reserving the top shell from each of them. These clams were huge so I cut them into 3 pieces and then placed them back on the shell.

 Bacon is the key to this recipe.  I cooked the bacon earlier and reserved several tablespoons of the bacon fat to saute' the vegetables.

 I use a combination of diced red and green peppers, shallots and garlic.

 I like to take them off the heat while they are still a bit crunchy and then they finish cooking to the desired texture as they cool. Add 4 pieces of diced cooked bacon.

 For 24 clams you will need 1 cup of breadcrumbs.  I made these from the French bread I made recently.  Panko will work well too. Add 1/2 C. of Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and some minced fresh parsley. Mix this with 3 T. of melted butter

Place the clams on a cookies sheet.  Add some of the veggies to the top of each clam and then top with a bit of shredded cheese.  I used mozzarella. Then top with 1 T. of the bread crumb mixture and a piece of bacon. These can be refrigerated until you are ready to cook them.

 Bake at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes.

 I was thrilled with these soft shells.  I haven't been able to get ones this big in years.  Make sure you dry them thoroughly after you clean them.  You can view youtube's of how to clean them or just ask your fishmonger to do so.

 I cook them in a bit of olive oil and melted butter.  I press them into seasoned flour first just to get a thin coating.  Just a bit of flour, salt and pepper and some Old Bay Seasoning. They cook on each side for about 5 minutes until they are crisp and red.  Watch out!  These things don't go down for the kill easily. They will spit at you fiercely! I forgot to take the finished pic.

 I did remember to take pics of the finished clams.

 These are very yummy!

 This is  a new recipe for a cuke and radish salad that I made.  It was so good that there was hardly any left by the end of the meal:

2 cups sliced radishes

1/2 tsp. kosher salt (or more to taste)

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

3 TBS unseasoned rice wine vinegar

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 clove minced garlic

1 TBS chopped fresh dill (or more or less to your liking)

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Combine the cucumbers and radish in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Mix and allow to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Drain off any liquid that forms.
2. In a small bowl or small mason jar with lid, combine the vinegar, oil, garlic, and sugar. Mix or whisk well.
3. Add onion to the cucumber-radish mixture and pour dressing on top of vegetables. Mix to coat. Add in the dill and the black pepper. Taste for additional salt if needed.
4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld. Garnish with additional fresh dill.

This is a new cole slaw recipe too:

1.  1/2 green cabbage shredded

2.  1 sliced red pepper

3.  1/4 sliced red onion

4.  1/4 C. diced cilantro

5.  4 T. apple cider vinegar

6.  4 T. olive oil

7.  1 T. honey

8.  salt and pepper to taste

9.  2 minced garlic cloves

10. juice from 1 lemon and 1 lime

Mix the dressing ingredients together until emulsified  and pour it over the vegetables.  Toss it and refrigerate it for an hour before serving to meld the flavors.  Stir it occasionally.