A quick and easy recipe for an elegant breakfast or brunch. My recipe for Clam Cakes with Lemony Greens and Poached Egg is so delicious and comes together easily. Make the clam cakes ahead if you’re feeding a crowd.
This is the second recipe I have developed for the Charleston Wine + Food Festival Lambs & Clams Contest.  You may remember my first recipe: Lamb Roulade with Mushroom Duxelles and Tawny Port Jus (so yum!!).  A few weeks after we ate the best lamb I’ve ever had in my life, I received a giant box from Rappahannock  River Oysters.  By giant, I mean GIANT.  Inside were big beautiful clams and oysters.  My kids were begging for Clam Chowder, but I knew I had to bring my A Game.  The last challenge was a tough one. Everyone made something incredible with their leg of lamb and I figured clam chowder wasn’t kicked up enough to win this challenge.  By the way, a big congrats to Gwen over at Bunky Cooks for winning the 1st challenge (I came in 3rd).  I am planning to give her a run for her money this go.  🙂
How to make Clam & Oyster Cakes
Ok, back to these clam cakes. Â Crab cakes are a pretty common menu item, but I have yet to see a clam & oyster cake in my seafood eating travels. Â Aside from opening the clams (I figured out the trick eventually) this recipe is super fast to make and was a great lunch for the husband and I. Â Let’s go make some, shall we?
Shucking the clams and oysters was interesting at first, but I quickly figured out the trick. Make sure you were protective gloves or your hands can get rather beat up from the sharp oyster shells. You will need approximately a dozen of each for this recipe.
Panko breadcrumbs tighten up the clam and oyster mixture and make for a light finished cake. Â I used 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutters (available at most kitchen stores) as molds in the skillet. Â This helps keep the cake together while it’s cooking. Â Remove it with tongs right before you flip the cakes. Â Assemble the greens and poach the eggs while the cakes are cooking and you will have a quick lunch or dinner.
Recipes created by the other bloggers participating in Lambs & Clams:
- Vivek’s Epicurean Adventure – Linguine with Clams Steamed in Ginger, Jalapeno & Vermouth
- Taste Food Blog – Smoky Clam, Chorizo, and Butternut Squash Stew with Saffron Aioli and Oyster Croutons
- A Cook Blog – Che Casino
- Mango Tomato – Lambs and Clams Contest #2
- Eat Drink RI – Baked Oysters
- Bunkycooks – Southern Rockafella’s
- One Vanilla Bean – Chorizo + Manchego Stuffed Clams
Other seafood recipes you may love:
- Emeril’s Tempura Fish and Chips
- Pasta with Tilapia, Olives & Feta with Greek Yogurt Sauce
- Thai Tilapia with Brussels Sprouts & Spicy Cashews
Disclaimer: I was provided clams and oysters free of charge from Rappahannock River Oysters for the purpose of recipe development. All opinions stated are my own and this post has not been sponsored or paid.
Clam Cakes with Lemony Greens & Poached Egg
Ingredients
Clam Cakes
- 12 ounces shucked raw clams & oysters no liquid
- 1 tbsp minced shallot
- 1 large egg white
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Lemony Greens
- 4 cups mixed lettuce greens
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 ounces Manchego cheese, shaved with vegetable peeler
- salt & pepper, to taste
Poached Egg
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
- crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
Clam Cakes
- In a food processor, add the clams & oysters, shallot, egg white, heavy cream, dijon, salt, and pepper. Pulse until combined, but not pureed. Remove to a medium bowl and stir in the Panko breadcrumbs. Allow to rest for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add 4 – 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter rings to the pan and fill each with the clam mixture. Allow to cook for 4 minutes and carefully remove the rings with tongs and flip the cakes over. Continue to cook until the center is firm and no longer gelatinous, about 4-6 minutes longer. Remove to serving plates and assemble with the lemony greens and poached eggs, recipes follow.
Lemony Greens
- In a medium bowl add the lettuce greens, lemon juice, olive oil, Manchego, salt, and pepper. Toss lightly with your hands to coat. Set aside.
Poached Eggs
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and add the vinegar. Using a slotted spoon, stir the water to make a whirlpool. Carefully break the eggs into the swirling water. The water should be slightly bubbling, not rapidly boiling. Allow the eggs to cook for 3 minutes (or longer to your taste). Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate while you assemble to clam cakes.
Assembly
- Top each of the 4 clam cakes with 1 cup of the lettuce mixture. Top each with a poached egg and sprinkle with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.
Wow! Those look delicious! What was the trick you said you found to open the clams and oysters? Also, is there a way to make these without the cream? I can’t tolerate cream or cheese. I’m wondering if the cream is essential or if I could substitute soy milk.
I think using soy or almond milk would be fine. The cream helps hold it together. How about sour cream? The trick to opening them was to insert the shucker into the hinge of the shell. There’s a little indentation and it worked to get them open easier. Or just buy them shucked. 🙂 Good luck and thanks for commenting.
I can’t do sour cream either. No cream, yogurt or cheese. But I will try it with soy. Thanks!
Good morning, I have featured your gorgeous recipe on my blog for my weekly seafood round-up called Seafood Frenzy Friday. I have also linked this recipe to your original post so that my readers will be forwarded to your site. Thank you for allowing me to share and have a wonderful weekend. Here is the link: http://carriesexperimentalkitchen.blogspot.com/2013/03/seafood-frenzy-friday-week-52.html
I know we are competitors, but you SOOOOOOOOOO should win this one 😉
Am retiring in 4 days & can’t wait to do some experimenting here on the farm…both in the garden and in the kitchen. Will have 5 grand babies under 8 to help me along the way.
Will be checking back in the not too distant future.
Life is an adventure – take off the brakes & enjoy!!
Wow – does that ever look good! I’ve never tried a clam cake, but I love this presentation with that poached egg on top!
thank you so much Jeanette. i had never had one before either. but they were delish
Holy cow – that is a thing of beauty! Seriously, those flavors and textures (and the photos!) make this a sure winner. And yep, I’m heading over to vote right now.
thank you Dara. Im not sure if voting is open. Been away all day today. thanks for the pinterest love. xo
Wow, you are looking good here!! The photos are really over the top….you even catch the dripping action…so yummy…I would love to eat this!! Make it….you know me, so lazy! Hope you win…don’t see how you wouldn’t. Miss you.
Thank you Karen. I turned a negative into a positive. One of my white boards that bounces light came down and broke the poached egg open, so I quick grabbed my camera and captured the yolk running down. 🙂 It was meant to be I guess. Miss you too!!!
Looks great Heather! Think you will take home the win with this dish!
Thanks Susan, I hope you’re right!! VOTE. 🙂