This satisfying combination of crispy fried bread mounded with spoonfuls of saucy clams, mussels, and pancetta is a variation on a signature dish at Hart’s in Bed-Stuy. Chefs Nick Perkins and Katie Jackson say you can cook the onion and fennel mixture in advance, let it cool, and store it, then fire it back up and continue the remaining steps of the recipe when you’re ready to serve. Use a rimmed plate or shallow bowl to capture all the juices.
To purge clams, a step that removes any residual sand inside them, submerge them in cold water seasoned generously with salt and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
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What You Will Need
Ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- 4 oz. pancetta, finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, 4 thinly sliced, 4 left whole
- 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
- 1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped, plus ½ cup fennel fronds
- Four 3-inch-long strips of lemon zest
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. ground fennel seed
- 2 cups dry white wine, divided
- Four 1 ½-inch-thick slices sourdough bread, halved crosswise to make 8 pieces total
- 1 lb. Manila clams, littleneck clams, or cockles, cleaned and purged
- 1 lb. mussels, cleaned
- 1⁄2 cup Italian parsley leaves and some tender stems
- Red pepper flakes, for serving
Instructions
Step 1
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Step 3
Step 4
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