Clam Cakes

Makes 6-8 cakes

Ingredients: 

2 lbs Manila clams
1 cup white wine vinegar
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons chopped chives (plus more for garnish)
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup light beer (a pilsner or lager)
2 teaspoons chili powder
4 stalks dill, finely chopped (plus more for garnish)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Procedure:

Add clams, white wine vinegar and one cup of water to a large sauce pan, cover, and steam over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the clams have opened. Remove from heat, strain, and set the clams aside to cool.

Once cooled, pick the meat from each clam and chop finely until the pieces of meat are the size of a grain of rice. Place the clam meat in the center of a cheese cloth, wrap it up, and squeeze any remaining moisture out of the minced clams.

In a large bowl, hand mix the meat with celery, eggs, breadcrumbs,  chives, parsley, mayonnaise, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, beer, and chili powder.

Form the mixture into patties roughly the size of a sand dollar, and set aside on a plate.

In a frying pan, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. When the oil is sizzling hot, gently place each medallion into the oil and cook on each side for three minutes or until golden brown.

Serve hot with lemons and tartar sauce. Garnish with remaining chives and dill.