This sauce is made with fresh shucked little neck clams and every drop of the juices they release. Fresh clams are readily available most of the year in grocery stores. Many clam sauce recipes are prepared by steaming live clams sometime during the cooking of the sauce. Perhaps a convenient alternative, but the clams are at risk of being overcooked and toughened.
Shucking smaller clams are quick and easy especially after the first few. I recommend you visit one of the many instructional websites with illustrations and/or pictures on the best and safest ways to shuck the clams. Remember to shuck them over a bowl. You want to capture all of their juices.
Pete's garlic oil
Additional Ingredients