Vietnamese Grilled Clams with Oyster Sauce and Peanuts

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"This is the type of dish that made me fall in love with Vietnam's snail restaurants," says writer Matt Gross. "It's got everything that I associate with the best of Vietnamese food: fresh shellfish, pungent scallions, and meaty peanuts. When I learned it was all bound together by oyster sauce, I was ready to dance with joy—but actually, I was too busy eating to get up from my small plastic stool." In Vietnam, huge pen shell clams feature in this dish. Pen shells are not widely available in the U.S., but the effect is just as good with cherrystone clams, in-shell scallops, or mussels. Finely chopped and combined with a pungent mix of herbs, crispy fried shallots, and oyster sauce, then returned to their shells and grilled until bubbling, they're a delicious appetizer—especially when paired with a cold lager.

By Hong Tran

Updated on April 30, 2019

Vietnamese Grilled Clams with Oyster Sauce and Peanuts — Photo: Justin Walker

Total Time:

45 mins

Yield:

4

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

3 pounds cherrystone clams or 1 pound mussels, scrubbed
10 scallions, finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup chopped fresh rau ram (Vietnamese coriander) or cilantro
1/4 cup packaged crispy fried shallots (such as Maesri)
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons finely chopped peanuts

Directions

Preheat grill to high (450°F to 500°F). While grill preheats, fill a heavy-bottomed pot with water to a depth of 1 inch; bring to a boil over high. Add clams; cover and cook until shells open, 6 to 8 minutes, transferring clams to a baking sheet as they open. Discard any clams that do not open.
Stir together scallions, rau ram, fried shallots, oyster sauce, oil, sugar, and pepper in a small bowl. Remove clam meat from shells, and coarsely chop. Discard top shells. Stir chopped meat into scallion mixture; spoon evenly into bottom shells. (If using mussels, spoon about 2 teaspoons scallion mixture directly onto meat inside each shell, leaving top shells intact.)
Place prepared clams on unoiled grill grates; grill, covered, until scallion mixture bubbles, about 2 minutes. Carefully transfer to a platter; sprinkle evenly with peanuts, and serve.

Suggested Pairing

Light Vietnamese lager beer.

Originally appeared: May 2019

Vietnamese Grilled Clams with Oyster Sauce and Peanuts

Ingredients

Directions

Suggested Pairing

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