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Steamed Clams or Oysters

A simple steamed shellfish dish using clams or oysters boiled in water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Steamed Clams or Oysters

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Place ¾ pint of water in a two‑pint pan, or 1 pint in a three‑pint pan.

  2. Cover the pan with a perforated dish.

Steam

  1. Bring the water to a boil.

  2. Place the cleaned clams or oysters in the perforated dish and cover tightly.

  3. Steam clams for 4 minutes and oysters for 6 minutes (longer for very large oysters).

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Clams or oysters
Main ingredient; the steam cooks its proteins until firm and it opens as it heats.

The step that matters

Timing the steam. Shellfish proteins tighten quickly under heat, so steaming past the stated time makes clams and oysters rubbery. Covering tightly keeps the steam trapped so the shellfish cook evenly.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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