Steamed Clams

Tags

clams, nz littleneck clams, steamed clams

Fresh NZ Littleneck Clams

I drove to the grocery store early in the morning on the hunt for dinner.

There were fresh New Zealand Littelneck clams.  Perfect.

A bottle of pinot gris, a block of unsalted butter, a handful of shallots, red chiles, a bundle of fresh parsley, a lemon, and a baguette.  Shopping done.

Steamed Clams

Steamed Clams

Ingredients

1 knob of butter

1 shallot, finely diced

1 red chile, finely diced (optional)

2 garlic cloves, finely diced (optional)

1 kg of fresh clams

1 glass (or a healthy glug) of pinot gris or any other dry white wine

1/2 cup parsley, coarsely chopped

To Serve

1 lemon, quartered

Fresh, crusty baguettes

Method

Heat the butter in a medium pan over a low heat until softened, about 10 minutes.  Do not let the shallots brown.  After about 6 minutes, add the chiles.

When the shallots are soft, add the garlic and turn the heat up to high.  When the garlic is aromatic, add the clams and the wine.  When the wine begins to boil, cover the pan and continue to cook for two minutes.

After about two minutes, check the clams and pull out any clams which have opened.  Remove clams to warmed bowls.  Continue cooking and checking until all clams are opened or about 4-5 minutes, after which, discard any clams which remained closed.   DO NOT OVERCOOK!

Add parsley to pan and pour liquor over clams reserved in warm bowls.

Serve with lemon cheeks, plenty of fresh, crusty baguettes to sop up all that lovely buttery clam liquor, and a glass of the same wine the clams were cooked with.

Delicious!

NZ Littleneck Clams Steamed with Viognier

Tags

butter, clams, littleneck clams, seafood, shellfish, viognier

NZ Littleneck Clams, Lewis Road Creamery Butter, Green Chiles, Shallots, Parsley, Villa Maria Viognier

Steamed Clams, Side Salad, & Crusty Baguette

 

Warm Your Cockles With Pork and Clams

Tags

chorizo, clams, cockles, littleneck clams, spanish chorizo

Cockles – New Zealand littleneck clams

More shellfish!  I found these cockles at the market and thought I would create a riff on a classic Portuguese dish of pork with clams.

I followed the recipe for Pork With Clams in Piri Piri Starfish, by Tessa Kiros.

Instead of pork shoulder, I used Spanish chorizo.

Spanish Chorizo with Clams

Pork With Clams

Serves 4.

Ingredients

650g Small clams in shells

4 Tablespoons olive oil (I used lard.  There.  I said it.)

600g Pork shoulder, cubed (I substituted Spanish chorizo)

1 Onion, chopped

3 Garlic cloves, chopped

125mL White wine

Juice of half a lemon

500g potatoes, cubed

2 Heaped tablespoons chopped coriander

Method

Make sure the clams are cleaned and rinsed.  Leave in colander.

Heat the fat in a large wide pan and add the pork.  Sauté over a high heat until golden and a bit crusty on both sides (be patient here, because a good deep colour is what will give wonderful flavour to the finished dish).

Season with salt and pepper and add the onion.  Continue to sauté until the onion is soft and golden, then add the garlic and cook until you start to smell it.  Add the wine and let it bubble up and thicken slightly.

Add 375mL of water, put the lid on the pan and simmer over a low heat for about 1 1/4 hours, turning the meat a couple of times.  If you are using sausage like the Spanish chorizo I used, you can add less water and shorten the simmering time to, say, 15 minutes.  If necessary, add a little more water – there should be some slightly thickened sauce in the pan.

Add the clams and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  Turn the heat up to high, put the lid on and cook for 10 minutes or so until the clam shells open.  If they haven’t all opened, put the lid back on for a couple of minutes and give them another chance, then discard any that are still stubbornly closed.

Meanwhile, parboil the potatoes for 5 minutes in boiling water, drain well and dry with kitchen paper.  Fry in plenty of olive oil until crisp, sprinkle with coarse salt and serve immediately.

Check the seasoning of the pork and clams, stir in the coriander and take to the table.  It can keep for a bit, with the lid on, before serving.

Delicious!

Simple Steamed Mussels

Tags

butter, garlic, mussels, shallots, shellfish, steamed mussels, white wine

Fresh New Zealand green lipped mussels steamed in white wine.

I love shellfish and these mussels are easy to put together and quick to cook.  I typically buy about 1 kg of fresh mussels for two people, enough to account for discarded mussels with broken shells or any which fail to open after cooking.  Serve with plenty of warm, crusty bread and a glass of the same wine they were steamed in.

Simple Steamed Mussels

Ingredients

500g fresh mussels per person (about 10 mussels) cleaned and debearded

A good knob of butter (about 100g)

1 shallot finely diced

3 garlic cloves finely diced

1 glass of good white wine

1 bunch of parsley chopped

Method

In a medium pan melt the butter over a low heat and add the shallots.  Cook slowly for about 10 minutes or until soft, but not coloured.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

Turn up the heat to medium high, add the mussels to the pan and a good glug of white wine.  Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and give the pan a good shake every now and then as they steam.  When the mussels open, they are cooked – about 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat, add chopped parsley and serve in a warmed bowl with a lemon cheek, warm crusty bread, and a glass of the same wine the mussels were steamed in.

Enjoy!