ickyBINKY: Giant Surf Clams in Spicy Soy Sauce

He doesn't know this, but my husband plays a huge role in the types of seafood I prepare. He's a very lazy...I mean "efficient" connoisseur. He enjoys foods that are flavorful. But more importantly, he enjoys foods that require little or no effort on his part traveling from plate to palate. Coral prawns? Good. Crawdads? Bad. Lobster? Great. Crabs? God forbid! So when it comes to cooking bivalves, I selected giant surf clams that average approximately 7 inches in diameter and are filled with tender, sweet, and juicy meat.

I called on my brother's food creativity and expertise to help create this dish. After two attempts, I believe we can finally bless our mess and kiss the cook - Chef Blue Fire - as we present Giant Surf Clams in Spicy Soy Sauce.

Giant Surf Clams in Spicy Soy Sauce
Preparation: 10 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes | Serves: 2-3

INGREDIENTS

1	giant surf clam
1/4 cup	cooking white wine or rice wine
5	slices of ginger (for the steamed giant surf clam)
5	slices of ginger (for the spicy soy sauce)
1 tablespoon	cooking oil
1 tablespoon	sugar
3 tablespoons	clam juice (from the steamed clam)
3 tablespoons	premium soy sauce
1 tablespoon	oyster sauce
4 tablespoons	water
7-8	slices of jalapeño pepper
1 cup	chicken broth
1	package of a 2-ounce bean thread noodle
	sliced onion
	cilantro
	wedge of lemon

DIRECTIONS

Clean the giant surf clam by gently scrubbing the outer surface of the shell.
Place the cleaned clam on a plate. Lay the slices of ginger on the top surface of the clam. Pour cooking white wine over the ginger and clam.
Place the plated clam in Step 2 into a double boiler. Steam for 5-6 minutes, or 1 minute after the clam opens its shell.
Carefully remove the steamed clam from the double broiler. Lift the steamed clam and pour the clam juice into a container. Set the juice aside for the sauce. Discard the steamed slices of ginger.
Gentle open the steamed clam and remove the meat. Thinly slice the clam meat and set aside. Save the shell halves for serving later.
In a small bowl, mix the sugar, clam juice (from the steamed clam), premium soy sauce, oyster sauce, and water. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the 5 slices of ginger and 3-4 slices of jalapeño and let their flavors infuse into the oil for about 1 minute on low heat. Add the mixture in Step 6. Once the sauce comes to a boil, remove and set aside to cool.
In a small pot, bring 1 cup of chicken broth to a boil. Cook the bean thread noodle in the broth until it turns clear. About 1 minute.
Remove the noodle and place it into the empty clam shell halves. Layer the thinly sliced clam meat on top of the noodle. Add the sliced onions and cilantro on top of the clam meat for garnish. Pour about 3-4 tablespoons of the spicy soy sauce over the clam, noodle, and garnish.
When you're ready to eat, squeeze a bit of lemon over the entire presentation, and enjoy.