At Léon 1909 on Shelter Island, chef Armond Joseph is on a mission to define a unique “Eastern Long Island cuisine.” He says the restaurant’s location, in the “middle” of the North and South Forks, is a significant benefit for sourcing local ingredients and influences his cooking philosophy. While many restaurants aim to transport you elsewhere, he wants diners to feel “in the right place.”
His surprising starter, surf clams with nasturtium, cucumber and aji dulce, is a perfect example. Chef Armond sources the clams, which he notes “live up to 30 years,” through Dock to Dish from Montauk. He finds them to be “very tender in a raw preparation” with an “intense… oceanic” flavor.
Chef Armond Joseph utilizes raw surf clams — large bivalves with a sweet, briny flavor — in an almost ceviche-meets-dumpling dish. (Photos by Doug Young)
He calls this elegant and fun-to-eat dish an “open face dumpling,” with the seasoned clam mixture served on a peppery-nasturtium leaf, perfect as a light, cold first course to “open up your palate.” It also sets the stage for the rest of the meal, which features entrees from the restaurant’s dramatic, wood-fired hearth where “the flame hits you” and you get “the char and the smoke.” The dish features small-diced clam meat with cucumbers pickled in a green coriander vinegar, and aji dulce peppers sourced from Hamlet Organic Garden in Brookhaven. He sums up his approach perfectly: “It is a pretty straightforward flavor profile, but we present it kind of in an elegant way.”
Ultimately, Chef Armond’s upbringing shaped his culinary journey. Having grown up in a Palestinian family just outside of Detroit, where he cooked a lot of Arabic food, he believes, “I think no matter who you are, you’re influenced by what you ate growing up.” This personal history informs his work to find a local identity for his food, a mission he calls “a work in progress.” As he explains, “I don’t think it can ever be fully defined, but we have to cook our way towards it.”
Joseph opts for peppery nasturtium leaves to act as the vessel on which the clam meat pieces, pickled aji dulce and bits of cucumber are transported to your mouth. (Photos by Doug Young)
Tips for the Home Cook:
- Sourcing: Get fresh, live surf clams from a reputable fishmonger or a service like regalis.com.
- Prep: Despite their size, he says they are “actually quite easy to shuck.”
- Flavor: Make the pickled peppers or coriander vinegar ahead of time for a deeper flavor.
- Serving: For a beautiful, elegant presentation, serve the dish cold on a platter of crushed ice.
Surf clams with nasturtium, cucumber & aji dulce
Ingredients
- 8 large fresh surf clams, in shell (cleaned and shucked)
- 1 cup surf clam meat, small dice (from the clams you shucked)
- 1/2 cup fine sea salt (for cleaning)
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced (brunoise)
- 1/2 cup Champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
- 20 nasturtium leaves (or baby lettuce cups)
- 20 thin slices of quick-pickled aji dulce peppers (or other mild pickled sweet peppers)
- Edible flower petals (e.g., nasturtium, marigold, or borage), for garnish
- 1 tbsp high-quality olive oil (preferably Sicilian-style)
- 1-2 limes, cut into wedges
- Flaky sea salt, to taste
- Crushed ice, for serving(optional)
For Quick Pickled Aji Dulce (optional):
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3-4 aji dulce peppers, seeded and sliced thin
For Green Coriander Vinegar (optional):
- 2 tsp green coriander seeds
- 1/2 cup Champagne vinegar
Directions
- If you have whole clams, shuck them. Remove the foot and adductor muscles, then rub all the meat with a handful of fine sea salt for one minute. Rinse the meat thoroughly in ice water and pat it dry. Finely dice the clam meat to get about 1 cup.
- Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a boil. Pour the mixture over the sliced peppers and let it sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours. This can be done up to a week in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
- Peel, seed and finely dice the cucumber. Toss it with a few tablespoons of the Champagne vinegar. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
- In a bowl, gently toss the diced clam meat with the juice from half a lime, the olive oil, and flaky sea salt to taste.
- On a large platter or in a bowl filled with crushed ice, arrange the nasturtium leaves. Divide the seasoned clams evenly among the leaves. Top each clam with a few pieces of the pickled cucumber, one slice of pickled aji dulce pepper, and one edible flower petal.
- Serve the dish cold, with additional lime wedges and flaky sea salt on the side for your guests to add as they wish.
