Large mixing bowl
1 1/2 cups minced fresh clams (drained well) 1/2 med red onion, diced small 1 med ripe tomato, seeded, cored, and diced 5 radishes, diced small 4 - 6 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 1/3 cup lime juice 10 - 20 shots Tabasco sauce salt freshly cracked black pepper
I'm sure that Elmer's recipe (as recorded by Schlesinger) was quite good, but I like more clams, garlic, cilantro, and Tabasco; I also like my clams in slightly larger pieces.The original recipe called for Littlenecks or other medium-sized clams; if what you can find fresh are small, don't mince them. You might even want to go for slightly larger clams and chop them down to an appropriate size. However, larger clams tend to be tougher, so don't get really big ones.
Using Schlesinger's original recipe as a guide, you'll need 27 - 30 clams.
My feeling is that you're aiming for two different size chunks: The clams and tomatoes (larger), and the onions and radishes.
Be sure to drain the clams well, and add the lime juice a little bit at a time -- you want this to be chunky, not soupy.
According to Schlesinger, Elmer ate this on saltine crackers; I think Elmer had the right idea.
Difficulty: Very easy.Time: 20 - 30 minutes.
Precision: 1.
Adapted from Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys & Chowchows, by Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby.
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