When in Doubt, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

If you don’t have anything brothy or vodka-fueled in your eating and drinking plans for the near future, you can always reduce the brine by half over low heat to create a potent elixir, which you can whirl into a compound butter or turn into a quick sauce with some garlic, white wine, and olive oil. This trick is used in both the Canned Clam Garlic Bread and the Spaghetti with Fancy Clams & Fancy Ham.