Mother's Day Chile-Lime Clams with Tomatoes and Grilled Bread

Mother’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate moms and say thank you for who they are, but this year show your appreciation in a different way. Prepare the meal at home on the grill so she can relax with her family while it cooks. Give her something better than the restaurant with Mother's Day Chile-Lime Clams with Tomatoes and Grilled Bread. The cast-iron skillet will be our ticket to capturing the brothy reduction of the clams, beer, tomatoes, and garlic over the flame of your hot grill. Why settle for plain old clams when you can have grilled, pan-seared seasoned clams and the broth to top your toasted bread?

Set up the grill for indirect heat by using just one burner. You can regulate the heat by moving the skillet away from the flame as needed if it gets too hot throughout the process. Sauté tender shallots and glorious garlic in butter for a few minutes - you can't go wrong with this combination. Add the acid with tomato paste and cherry tomatoes and sugar with a cup of beer. Once the broth is reduced and set, steam the clams by covering them with a lid or foil. Once they open up, they are ready to go. Spoon the mixture over freshly grilled and salted bread for a beautiful presentation of love and appreciation for mom. This Mother's Day, skip the long lines at the restaurant and take time to honor her for everything she does. Just be sure to keep her away from the grill!

Serves 4

Mother's Day Chile-Lime Clams with Tomatoes and Grilled Bread Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, divided
• 2 large shallots, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup beer
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 15.5-ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons (or more) sambal oelek
• 24 littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 4 thick slices of country-style bread
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt
• ½ cup cilantro leaves with tender stems
• Lime wedges (for serving)

Mother's Day Chile-Lime Clams with Tomatoes and Grilled Bread Directions

1. Prepare a grill for medium, indirect heat (for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off; for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of the grill).
2. Place a large cast-iron skillet on the grill over direct heat (move it around to the cooler part of the grill as you cook if needed) and melt 4 Tbsp. of butter in the skillet. Add shallots and garlic and cook until soft for about 4 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add tomato paste and cook while stirring until paste darkens to a rich brick-red color, about 1 minute. Add beer and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until the beer is reduced nearly by half and no longer smells boozy about 4 minutes.
4. Stir in chickpeas and sambal oelek, then add clams. Cover (if you don't have a lid that fits, use a sheet of foil) and cook, occasionally stirring until clams have opened; this could take from 5–10 minutes depending on the size of the clams the heat level.
5. Remove from heat; discard any clams that don't open. Stir in lime juice and the remaining 2 Tbsp. of butter.
6. While the clams are cooking on the grill, drizzle bread with oil and season lightly with salt. Grill until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes per side.
7. Transfer toast to plates and spoon clam mixture over; top with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.