A Little Wine with Dinner

Didn't I just say I would cut back on the alcohol in my last post? Well, I guess I'll keep trying. These delicious clams and mussels were just too perfect with a few glasses of white wine. 

Maybe wine doesn't count... Anyways, I really lucked out with these little sea creatures because out of the 48 total clams and mussels I bought, only 1 was bad and didn't open up. It was probably because I bought them and cooked them on the same day and the lovely seafood lady at Whole Foods sent me with two heaping bags of ice to keep them cool. Although the mussel experts say you can store mussels in the fridge for several days, covered with a damp cloth.

Giada, from the Food Network, is one of my favorite chefs. Every recipe I have made from her has been outstanding. This one was great because the crushed red peppers spice up the entire broth and give all of the seafood that little bit of kick. The recipe is supposed to serve 6, but the two of us ate all of the mussels and clams with a few shrimp left over. (Just in case your eyes are bigger than your stomach, cooked mussels stay good in the fridge 3-4 days, but you probably want to take them out of their shells before you store them.) 

I definitely recommend a crunchy french baguette to accompany your meal, and you get bonus points if it's fresh out of the oven. 

Mussels, Clams and Shrimp in Spicy Broth 
Courtesy of Giada & Food Network

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
24 small Littleneck clams (about 2 1/2 pounds total), scrubbed
24 mussels (about 1 1/2 pounds total), debearded
20 large shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled, deveined, butterflied
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
Warm crusty bread
Directions
Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper. Saute until the garlic is tender, about 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down and the flavors blend, about 5 minutes. Stir in the clams. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the mussels. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels open, about 5 minutes longer.

Using a tongs, transfer the opened shellfish to serving bowls (discard any shellfish that do not open). Add the shrimp and basil to the simmering tomato broth. Simmer until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes. Divide the shrimp and tomato broth among the bowls. Serve with the warm bread.

Nutrition (1/6 recipe, excluding bread): 276 calories, 14 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 127 mg cholesterol, 193 mg sodium, 539 mg potassium, 10 g carbohydrate, 2.5 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 65 g protein,  5% vitamin A, 5% calcium, 12% iron, 4% vitamin C, 15% vitamin B-12, 29% vitamin D, 17% phosphorous, 42% selenium,

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/mussels-clams-and-shrimp-in-spicy-broth-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

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