Razor Clam Risotto with Miso Asparagus

I have to admit -- the best part about this meal didn't involve any eating. It came long before that -- the best part was the long stretched out beach, yelling over the wind, the sound of clam guns hitting the sand, laughter, cold beers, spring-sunshine freckles making their first appearance, sore arms and 3 hours of cleaning and packaging clams.

Razor clamming has quickly become one of my favorite perks of living in Washington State. You'd be amazed at the amount of people who flood the beaches when there's a dig. I've seen young and old alike walking the beach with full bags of these tasty morsels hanging from their sides. And everyone, I mean everyone, has their own idea of how best to dig these suckers up. There's folks with clam guns, others with shovels, and I've even had the pleasure of watching people get on their hands and knees and wildly dig for them like a dog attempting to bury his favorite bone.

Razor clamming is a great opportunity to get your favorite crew together, post up on the beach, have a little digging fun and then enjoy a campfire and each others company. Yes it can be a long drive, yes sand gets everywhere, and yes cooking and cleaning those clams is no easy feat -- but at the end of it all you're left with one of the tastiest treats our state has to offer and priceless memories with loved ones.

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Razor Clam Risotto

Risotto is one of those recipes that has the power to make me feel fancy even though it's a pretty cheap and easy-to-make dish. Typically you should use an Italian short grain rice (and I have to admit, it offers the best texture), but I've made do with brown rice in my pantry.

Feel free to try this risotto recipe without clams too. I've done it as a side with salmon and added shiitake mushrooms and asparagus to it. I also have a hunch that pancetta would go nicely with it.

1 cup of pureed razor clams (about 5 clams)

1 cup of Italian short grain rice

3 Tbl white wine

32 oz chicken/bone broth (1 container) or a jar of homemade bone broth (see my recipe) with added water

1 minced shallot

3 Tbl olive oil

1/2 cup of grated parmesan

3/4 cup sliced shiitake mushroom

3 slices bacon - cut into small pieces

pepper to taste

Mince the shallot and throw it in a large skillet with 2 Tbl of olive oil. When the shallot becomes fragrant and translucent add the rice. Sauté the rice with the shallots until it begins to let off a nutty fragrance.

Add the white wine and once it's been fully mixed into the rice mixture, add half of the broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer over low-medium heat and then move to low heat. Once the broth has boiled down add the last half.

While the rice cooks, cut the shiitake and bacon. Begin cooking the bacon and then add shiitake (add the last Tbl of olive oil if the bacon isn't producing enough grease to cook the mushrooms in). Make sure to not over cook the bacon and mushrooms, if the bacon becomes too crispy it throws off the texture of the risotto. Once it's finished cooking set aside

Puree the clams in a food processor. I even did mine in a magic bullet with a little added water. Be prepared, the result is anything but appetizing.

Once the rice is soft and has boiled down, add the clams and mix thoroughly into the rice. Next add the parmesan, I make sure to sprinkle it evenly over the rice and mix it in well (sometimes I add more cheese, whoops). Once the mixture is thick and gooey add the mushrooms, bacon and pepper to taste. Enjoy!