Name: Grilled Clams on the Half Shell with Ginger Mignonnette
Yield: Makes 4 first-course servings
Ingredients: 5 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned); 3 tablespoons peanut oil; 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil; 1/2 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger; 1 scallion, thinly sliced; 1 fresh serrano chile or 1/2 fresh jalapeño chile, minced; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 to 2 cups coarse salt for stabilizing clams on platter; 24 small hard-shelled clams (2 1/2 pounds) such as littlenecks (less than 2 inches wide), scrubbed well; Accompaniment: seaweed salad; a clam knife; a metal cooling rack

Image may contain Animal Sea Life Food Invertebrate Seashell Clam Meal and Oyster

Grilled Clams on the Half Shell with Ginger MignonnetteBeatriz da Costa

It's best to shuck your own clams, but if you buy them on the half shell, be sure to ask for the clam liquor.

Cooks' note:

·Clams can be cooked under broiler in a salt-covered shallow baking pan. Broil 5 to 7 inches from heat until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Recipe notes

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