New England Portuguese Clam Boil

 After pouring the delightful jumble of potatoes, onions, hot dogs, chourico sausage, breakfast sausage, and clams onto the big white platter, I looked at my husband with a big smile and said, joyfully, "This is the first time I've cooked clams!" To which he replied, in his inimitable dry manner, "You boiled water."

It's a good thing I love that guy, that's all I'm saying.

First thing, dump the clams in the sink, pour in cold water, dump ice cubes in the water, and let the clams siphon out the sand. This is the difference between an enjoyable meal and a gritty meal. When I was a kid, I think my parents skipped this step. Anyway, I remember as a kid biting into a clam and biting down on sand, and I (somewhat dramatically) declared I would never eat clams again. Look what I missed out on all these years, because of a few grains of sand. I shall have to make up for lost time now!

This is not the season for corn on the cob, so the meal was lacking that colorful ingredient. But the rest was so flavorful! I purchased hot dogs and chourico sausage made in Maine, and they were delicious. I was a little hesitant about the chourico sausage, since it was my first experience with this sausage. I am not one to like really spicy food, and I had heard it was spicy. It was nothing less than perfect, not too hot and not too mild. I loved it!

Melted butter for the clams and potatoes, and some ketchup on the side for the hot dogs, and this meal was ready to enjoy. And only twenty minutes prep time (not including the sand-siphoning time). A nice, relaxing meal with a cold beer. I'm an official clam fan now!



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