Gorgeously juicy and tender with the taste of the sea and an aromatic crunchy topping – bliss!
Ingredients
—2½ Tbsp butter ½ cup finely chopped shallot 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped 24 large clams (about 1.3kg / 2½ lb)) 1 Tbsp each chopped rosemary and parsley ¼ cup panko crumbs or breadcrumbs ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese Lemon wedges for serving
Method
—1 Put shallot and butter in a small saucepan, cover with a lid and cook gently for several minutes until tender and lightly golden. Stir in garlic and remove pan from heat.
2 Rinse clams, scrubbing if sandy, then soak in a sink of cold water for 5 minutes, agitating them from time to time. Transfer clams without the water to a large bowl. Rinse sink, then return clams to it and soak in cold water for a few minutes more. If the water is gritty repeat the washing process until water is clear. Transfer clams to a large saucepan with just the water clinging to them. Cover the pan with a lid and set it over a medium-high heat. As the clams open, transfer them to a large bowl.
3 As soon as the clams are cool enough to handle, open each one and sever the clam meat from the shell. Return it to one of the shells (if there is a little foot attached to the shell, sever it, too), moistening with any clam juices. Arrange clams in a shallow ovenproof tray (I use a Swiss roll tin / jelly roll pan).
4 If the butter has congealed, rewarm it gently. Mix in herbs, crumbs and parmesan. Spread mixture on top of clams. Cook under a preheated grill until golden. Serve immediately.
Read all about clams here CLAMS
Photography by Aaron McLean
NZ littleneck clams
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