Surf & Turf Sliders

This recipe for Surf & Turf Sliders has a clam sauce smeared on a lamb burger and it was so delicious that it blew my father’s mind when he took the first bite.

This post is bittersweet for me.  It’s been 4 months since I started the Lambs & Clams recipe contest in an attempt to win a pass to the Charleston Wine + Food Festival in March.  When I first agreed to enter the contest, March seemed like light years away, but here we are in the middle of January already and by the time I blink again, it will be March.  It’s been a fun ride for sure.  Dreaming up recipes is what I love to do and using ingredients that I don’t normally use, like lamb and clams, has pushed my creative envelope to new heights.  High quality ingredients were provided by Border Springs Farm & Rappahannock River Oysters , you should check them out next time you need lamb or clams/oysters or just go check them out.

Here’s a little recap of past recipes before we move on:

And last but definitely not least are these sliders.  Surf meets turf on a homemade pretzel roll and the result is incredibly delicious.  So good, in fact, that we had them for lunch and dinner the same day.  These would be a fun addition to your Super Bowl menu for sure!

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to make them.

Start by steaming 2 dozen middleneck clams in a red ale.  I used Rickard’s Red  which is a Canadian beer that my husband and I were turned on to by our neighbors.

Remove the clams from the shells and coarse chop them.  Add 8 ounces of room temp cream cheese, 2 tablespoons minced yellow onion, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1 tsp Worcestershire and 3/4 tsp Sriracha.  Mix it all up and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Add 2 lbs of ground lamb to a bowl.  Mix in 2 tablespoons minced yellow onion, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, a big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of smoked paprika.  Use your hands to combine.  Using a 1/3 cup measure, make patties.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Heat up a skillet, grill or grill pan and cook the lamb burgers until they are just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Toast some slider buns, like these Pretzel Slider Buns (pictured above) and then give them a good shmear of the clam spread.  Add a lamb patty and a few arugula leaves and spear a cornichon pickle to the top and serve.

It has also been a pleasure to work with the other 7 bloggers for this event.  See what they made for their last challenge below.

Surf & Turf Sliders

Author: Heather Scholten

Creamy clam spread gets melty and gooey from the warm lamb patties making for a delicious surf meets turf slider. Perfect for your next tailgating or Super Bowl party.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Appetizers & Snacks, Sandwiches & Wraps

Cuisine All Cuisines, American

Servings 14 Sliders

COOK MODEPrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

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For the Clam Spread:

• 16 ounce bottle red ale such as Rickard’s Red
• 25 middleneck clams scrubbed
• salt & pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced yellow onion
• 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ teaspoon Sriracha sauce or other hot pepper sauce
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper

For the Lamb Burgers:

• 2 lbs ground lamb
• 2 tablespoons yellow onion minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 pinch smoked paprika
• 14 pretzel slider buns
• ½ cup arugula
• ¼ cup cornichons optional

Get ingredients with

Instructions

For the Clam Spread:

• Add the beer to a large stockpot. Bring to a boil and add the clams and salt & pepper to taste. Cover and allow to steam for 5 minutes, or until the clams have opened. Remove the clams and allow to cool slightly.
• Coarsely chop the clams and add to a medium bowl along with the cream cheese, onion, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and sriracha. Stir with a rubber scraper, cover and refrigerate.

For the Lamb Patties:

• In a medium bowl add the lambs, onion, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and paprika. Use your hand to combine. Use a 1/3 cup measure to form measure the meat and make a patty and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
• Heat a skillet, grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Add the lamb patties and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until just cooked through.
• Toast the cut side of the slider buns under a broiler for 30 seconds or so, then spread a tablespoon of clam spread on the bun. Add a patty and a few arugula leaves. Use a long toothpick and spear a cornichon with it. Spear the slider and repeat with the remaining sliders. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 13gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 344mgPotassium: 188mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 290IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg

Keywords burger recipes, super bowl recipes, tailgating recipes

Tried this recipe? I’d love to see what you made!
Mention @farmgirlgourmet or tag #farmgirlgourmet !

See the Other Entries for this Month:

• Vivek’s Epicurean Adventure – Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Merguez Lamb, Steamed Clams
• Taste Food Blog – Gratineed Clams with Spinach, Cheese & Crispy Lamb
• A Cook Blog – http://www.acookblog.com/
• Mango Tomato – Lambs & Clams
• Eat Drink RI – Clambballs
• Bunkycooks – Rustic Lambs and Clams Pâté with Cognac Gelée
• One Vanilla Bean – Saffron and Smoked Paprika Lambs and Clams with Roasted Garlic Aioli  

Disclaimer: I received a 2 lbs of ground lamb from Border Springs Farm  and 25 Middleneck clams from Rappahannock River Oysters for the purpose of recipe development.  I was not paid to write this post and all opinions are my own.  One person will be selected from a group of 8 food bloggers to receive an all expense paid trip to the Charleston Wine + Food Festival

Recipe By:

Heather Scholten

Co-Founder at Spiceology | More About Heather...

Heather is a recipe developer and content creator living in Vancouver, Washington. She started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006, almost 20 years ago, as a way to share recipes with friends and family. Heather is also the co-founder of Spiceology , a unique spice company, which she started in 2013. She shares family friendly recipes for easy everyday meals with a gourmet twist.