This recipe was developed for us by the amazing Adrienne Anderson: food stylist, chef, potter, world explorer, and lover of arcane, obscure phenomena. We love it so much (it makes a perfect lunch / meeting snack) we've started packaging it up for sale in the retail store.
Hama Hama Sport Dip
Clam dip: the ideal accompaniment to your favorite sporting event. Also suitable for picnics, tailgates and other casual shenanigans. Mysteriously, this always tastes way better the next day, so let it rest in the refrigerator overnight before serving. This recipe calls for purple clams but we routinely sub in manila steamers.
Ingredients
1 cup cooked purple clams (from about 3 pounds of clams in shell)
3 tablespoons clam juice (reserved from cooking)
16 ounces sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Potato chips to serve
Procedure
Wash the clams and soak in water for 30 minutes to help release any grit. Carefully (without stirring up the grit!) transfer the clams to a pot over medium-high heat and add a spoonful of water. Cover and cook until all the clams open and release their liquor. Pick the clam meat from the shells and reserve 3 tablespoons of the liquor.
In a large bowl, mix the reserved clam liquor, sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper and hot sauce. Add the clams (chopped or whole – we find that a mix of half chopped, half whole strikes a nice balance of flavor and texture). Refrigerate the dip at least 8 hours. Taste for salt before serving and add a little more if necessary – just keep in mind that if you're serving the dip with very salty potato chips, you don't want to send anyone into shock.