Serve these Grilled Little Neck Clams as an appetizer for your next gathering! The combination of soy sauce and butter is my secret to these clams!

My 6-year-old son just finished kindergarten last week and our summer has officially begun. American schools have a long summer break. It varies depending on school districts and which state you live in, but in my son’s case, he’ll have about 10 weeks off! Oh, I wish I have 10 weeks of vacation (…daydreaming…).

When I was growing up in Japan, my summer break was just 5-6 weeks, and I thought that was long. I’m a bit worried about how to keep up with this active boy while my daughter still goes to preschool every morning during the summer.

Today I’m sharing the Grilled Little Neck Clams recipe. Yes, finally. Thank you for waiting, to those who requested other clam recipes after my Japanese Clam (Sake Steamed Clams) post back in November. We eat clams once in a while but they didn’t make it to a post. Today’s recipe comes in very handy if you want to serve some quick seafood as an appetizer or on the side. The recipe is very simple and can be prepared in minutes.

In my household, my husband does all the barbecues so he’s the chef today cooking my recipe, the barbeque clams. One of the reasons I enjoy summer is because it’s barbecue season, and that means I do a bit more of the eating and less cooking on weekends! Stay tuned for more delicious Japanese BBQ recipes coming up this month!

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Grilled Little Neck Clams

4.84 from 6 votes

Serve these Grilled Little Neck Clams as an appetizer for your next gathering! The combination of soy sauce and butter is my secret to these clams!

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Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 5

De-Gritting Time: 1 15

Total Time: 1 25

Servings:

Ingredients

▢ 2 giant little neck clams
▢ ½ green onion/scallion (chopped)
▢ 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (cut into small cubes)
▢ sea salt (for mounting)

Seasonings:

▢ 1 Tbsp soy sauce
▢ 1 Tbsp sake
▢ ½ Tbsp mirin

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Instructions

As soon as you purchase clams, de-grit them to purge sand (Read on How to De-Grit Clams). It takes about 1 hour to do this process.
Start the grill. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Chop green onions, cut butter into small cubes, and combine the seasonings in a small bowl.
When the grill is hot, place the clams on it. When the clams are fully opened, after about 5 minutes, pour the Seasonings and put green onion and butter on the clams, and cook until boiling. Carefully remove them from the grill. Try not to spill their juices.
Serve on top of the sea salt. Enjoy!

To Store

I don't recommend keeping the clams for a long time, so enjoy it on the same day you cook.

Nutrition

Calories: 82 kcal · Carbohydrates: 2 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 6 g · Saturated Fat: 4 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 17 mg · Sodium: 517 mg · Potassium: 8 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 1 g · Vitamin A: 198 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 5 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: clam

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