Clams Casino

Steps

1. Rinse the clams under cold water, rubbing them against each other. Tap any clam that is gaping on the counter: if it does not close within a minute, discard it, along with any cracked shells.
2. Pour the white wine into a large skillet with a lid, bring it to a boil over high heat, and add the clams. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan once. Pull each clam out with tongs as soon as it opens, without waiting for the others, and set it on a plate. Discard any still closed after 7 minutes.
3. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve lined with a paper towel to catch any sand, return it to the skillet, and boil over high heat until only 2 tablespoons remain, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
4. When the clams are cool enough to handle, twist off the top shells. Slide a small knife under each clam to free it from the muscle, then leave it in its half shell. Spread the coarse salt in a 1/2 inch (1 cm) layer on a rimmed baking sheet and nestle the clams into it so they sit level.
5. Cut the bacon into 24 squares of about 3/4 inch (2 cm). Put them in a cold skillet and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until the fat turns translucent and the edges are just starting to brown: they should still be soft. Move them to a plate and keep the fat in the pan.
6. Cut the half bell pepper and the shallot into tiny 1/8 inch (3 mm) dice and mince the garlic. Cook them in the bacon fat over medium heat for 3 minutes, until the shallot is translucent and the pepper is tender. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the fat into a small bowl and let the vegetable mixture cool for 5 minutes.
7. In a mixing bowl, mash the softened butter with a fork together with the pepper and shallot mixture, the reduced clam juice, the lemon zest, half the chopped parsley, the red pepper flakes, and the black pepper. The butter should be spreadable and streaked with red.
8. In the small bowl with the bacon fat, rub the panko and parmesan together with your fingertips until they look like damp sand.
9. Set the broiler to high, about 500°F (250°C), with the rack 4 inches (10 cm) from the element. Put a heaping teaspoon of butter on each clam, cover with a pinch of the crumb mixture, and top with a square of bacon.
10. Broil for 4 to 6 minutes, watching through the oven door: the butter bubbles at the edges, the crumbs turn golden, and the bacon sizzles and curls. Pull the pan as soon as the bacon is crisp, because the crumbs can burn in under a minute.
11. Scatter the remaining parsley over the top and serve right away on the salt-lined pan or on a platter bedded with coarse salt, with the lemon cut into wedges.