Clam juice uses?

[emilycat]

I'm hoping you all can help me out with this...I have about a cup of clam juice left over from Halibut Wrapped in Greens (which, by the way, was very delicious) and I have not a clue as to what I can use it for.

Linguine with White Clam sauce crossed my mind, but I don't have any clams, and the fun of trying to use of this stuff is in not having to make another trip to the store.
So...does anyone have any recipes that call for clam juice? It seems that I've seen many that do, without clams, but I've scoured my cookbook indexes and haven't come up with anything...then again, they could just be hiding from me...

Thanks!

Emily

[lorilei]

Hey there emilycat, you must have been reading my mind. I have about a cup of clam juice sitting in my fridge right now waiting for the right recipe OR a trip to the grocery store to buy clams http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

You can certainly use up your clam sauce in a stir-fry recipe -- spice it up with garlic and ginger and add it to any sort of vegetables (or even shrimp) to serve over rice. I've also used clam sauce as a liquid base for risotto.

Otherwise, here is an excellent recipe which makes a good side for all sorts of dishes (especially seafood and oriental chicken):

Coconut-Basmati Pilaf

1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup clam juice
1 tablespoon sugar
thinly sliced scallions (green part only)

Cook ginger and shallots with butter in saucepan until caramelized. Add rice, coating each grain with butter to avoid clumping. Add coconut milk, clam juice, and sugar. Add salt to taste. Bring to almost-boiling, then cover and simmer on low heat for twenty minutes or until rice is tender. Toss with scallions and serve.

And if all else fails, here's one that will make you forget what you wanted to make in the first place http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Clam Juice Cocktail

1 1/2 oz. Vodka
3 oz. Clam Juice
1 tsp. Catsup
1-2 dashes Tabasco
pinch of Celery Salt

Shake well with cracked ice.
Strain into highball glass.

[Jessica]

I have a fabulous recipe for pasta with red clam sauce, which I love because I am not a fan of white or cream sauces. Even before I knew they were unhealthy, I just did not like them.
Anyway, the recipe calls for clams and the juice, but I bet you could add the juice to a red sauce for pasta and get the taste without the clams. Some white beans would add texture, or you could just add onions and garlic.
I love this kind of post--gets me thinking about what I can do with the odds and ends in my fridge http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[hhcowgirl]

May sound gross, but I have used clam juice in place of chicken broth in recipes before, i.e., to add flavor to rice, etc. Also, I like the above suggestion--it sure is great in bloody marys http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif!

[Ohioan]

Emily - Try making Spanish rice with 1/2 water and 1/2 clam juice. I'm typing this in from memory, but my old tried-and-true was something like this for one portion. You can use either white or brown rice; just adjust the cooking time accordingly.

1/2 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp minced onion
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup long-grain rice
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup clam juice
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
A few strands of saffron steeped in a few Tbsp of warm water
1/4 tsp Spanish paprika (well, Hungarian is okay, too; I just wanted to sound authentic, la-de-dah. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif)
1 or 2 Tbsp of minced fresh parsley
A splash of chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce (optional)

Cook the onion slowly in the olive oil until it softens. Add the garlic and cook a half-minute more. Add the rice; cook, stirring, until all the rice is coated with the oil and beginning to get fragrant. Then add the water, clam juice, saffron, salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, tomato (if using), and any other seasonings. Give everything a good stir, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pot, and cook at a low simmer until the rice is done (this will depend on what kind of rice you're using). Remove from the heat and let the pot sit, covered, for about 5 minutes to allow the rice to finish absorbing the liquid. Uncover, fluff with a fork, and serve.

You can also add other veggies to this, to make it a kind of vegetarian paella. If you use peppers, celery, or other crunchy veggies (carrots are inauthentic but interesting http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif), chop them up and cook them along with the onion. If you use peas, add them with the water and seasonings.

You can also make this into a seafood dish by sticking raw shrimp and/or scallops into the rice just before you cover the pot.

Cheers,
Phoebe

[emilycat]

Oooh, these sound awesome, everyone...my printer is cursing me... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[pipely]

I've used clam juice in fish chowder or vegetable soups. Also, if you marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts in clam juice, lightly bread them and saute, they will tastes like abalone. Abalone steaks can cost up to $30.00 a serving at some restaurants!

[emilycat]

Well, Phoebe, I tried your rice dish and it was excellent! The clam juice adds so much flavor, but I loved the saffron...first time using it, and it's so good!
I served it with stir-fried broccoli and carrots and scallions (oh, and I added a little halibut, too) with a sauce I adapted from a vinaigrette recipe I have...it's so delcious, so I'll share:

1 T. soy sauce
1/2 t. sesame oil
1/2 t. sugar

And this time I added about a 1/2 T. of port.

It's so wonderful.

Thanks again! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Emily

[Ohioan]

Emily - I'm so glad you liked the rice dish, and I, in turn, am going to try your broccoli and carrot stir-fry. Never thought of that combination, somehow. What a great place this is for getting ideas! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Cheers,
Phoebe