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Clams Oreganato

Clams Oreganato. Baked Clams. Stuffed Clams. No matter what you call them, they are a great starter for your Christmas Eve fish dinner. It is very important that the stuffing stays moist and does not become dried out. If the bread crumb mixture feels too dry, you may have to add a little more oil, use your judgment.

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer

2 cups bread crumbs
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic chopped very fine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon paprika
24 cherrystone or littleneck clams, scrubbed
2 cups fish or chicken broth
2 lemons, cut into wedges
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine bread crumbs, olive oil, garlic, parsley, and paprika in a medium bowl.  Mix together well, mixture should be moist to the touch.
3. Place clams in a baking pan and pack about 2 teaspoons of the bread crumb mixture loosely into each clam.
4. Pour broth around clams, making sure not to cover clams and wash away bread crumb mixture.
5. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until done.
6. Transfer Clams to serving plates and drizzle a little of the juice from the baking pan on top of each clam.  Serve with lemon wedges.




Italian Christmas Eve Dinner
It is a tradition with many Italian families to celebrate Christmas Eve with an elaborate fish banquet. Sometimes referred to as The Feast of the Seven Fishes, not everybody sticks to exactly seven, some go up to 11 or 12, predominantly shellfish.

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