Lowcountry Linguine

Vietnamese Style Geoduck Salad featuring these big, beautiful Geoducks showed off by Bill Dewey of Taylor Shellfish Co.

Southwestern Clams with Tasso & Rouille

THIS PERFECTLY COOL CLEAR, CRISP NIGHT IN SAVANNAH was not a night for the ubiquitous shrimp, or even the much-heralded Bluffton Oyster.

No, dear reader, tonight was about the clam, that coy shellfish of so many manifestations that just happened to thrill native gastronomes and visitors alike.

Thanks to the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association conference for bringing the best of North America’s clams to the Hostess City – and for amassing an impressive collection of chefs to show off their best clam dishes.

An informal poll of my table – a collective of local foodies – yielded these favorites:

Lowcountry Linguine: Chef Peter Kornack of T.W. Graham and Co., McClellanville, SC, scored the best of night with this dish comprised of South Carolina baby clams from Livingston’s Bull’s Bay Seafood and a host of fresh ingredients ranging from country ham to lemon zest to diced fresh tomatoes. The simplicity is astounding, the results flavorful and crowd pleasing!

Vietnamese Style Geoduck Salad: Clearly the odd ball entry, the Geoduck Clam is a prehistoric looking delicacy that was embraced by Chef Xinh Dwelley of Xinh’s Clam and Oyster House of Shelton, WA.

A fresh combination of red onion, papaya, mint and dry roasted peanuts – along with a variety of other ingredients – combines to make this fresh and flavorful cold dish a real mouth watering delight! I had never had Geoduck, and appreciate Bill Dewey of Taylor Shellfish Co. for filling me in on the details. All of the events clams are produced commercially – and are generally available for shipment across the U.S. In fact, Dewey says Taylor sells about half of its 350,000+ annual harvest of Geoduck to China!

Southwestern Clams with Tasso and Rouille: Chef Jeff Concotta of Charles River Country Club in Newton Centre, MA, presented a dish that was as beautiful to look at as it was to taste – and each of the components could have stood on its own in categories of flavor, texture and enjoyment.

Wellfleet Seafood provided the Count Neck Clams and Chef Jeff worked his magic, using red peppers to drive his rouille and a taste bud teasing concoction laced with Tasso ham for his primary flavors. On our first dish, we ate the solids – then passed the remaining broth for everyone to have a communal sip from the bowl. Wow!

Portuguese Clam Stew with Chorizo & Kale: Peter Hoffman, chef/owner of NYC’s Savoy, brought rib-sticking and flavorful ingredients to the table with this dish. Obviously Chorizo is no slouch in the flavor department, and Chef Peter did and admirable job containing what could have been an overpowering component. The Little neck clams from F. M. Flowers of Long Island Sound were tender and mildly flavored, and carried enough oomph to compliment the ranges of experiences brought by Hoffman’s recipe, which contained chick peas, fresh kale, cilantro and a hearty helping of red pepper flakes. Bravo Chef!

Outside on Chppewa Square, guests were treated to raw versions of most of the clams offered cooked inside.

I hope the association publishes these full recipes – and the others – to a website…I’ll keep you posted!