Clams with garlic, lemon & parsley

By: Matt Wilkinson, Sharlee Gibb
From: Mr & Mrs Wilkinson's How it is at Home
Serves: 2
Photographer: Patricia Niven

MR: Clams are one of my favourite foods. I love them both cooked and raw, which, so long as they have been purged properly so there is no sand in them, is a bit like eating an oyster. I have had the pleasure of spending some time at Cloudy Bay Clams in Marlborough, New Zealand, where they produce some of the best and most sustainable aquaculture in the world and it is their clams that I would use for this recipe, though if you can’t get your hands on them I suggest you use the best-quality and most sustainable option you can find.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
100ml	extra-virgin olive oil
1	garlic bulb, cloves peeled and crushed
2	shallots, diced
1kg	diamond shell clams (vongole) large pipis or even mussels, cleaned
100g	salted butter
2	lemons, cut into quarters, seeds removed and juiced
100ml	verjus or sweet white wine
1/2 bunch	flat-leaf (italian) parsley, chopped
pinch	cracked black pepper
	grilled (broiled) or toasted focaccia slices, to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over a low heat, add the garlic cloves and shallot and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes until golden.

Set a large saucepan over a high heat and leave for 1 minute, then add the garlic and shallot mixture, clams, butter, lemons quarters and juice. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, then pour over the verjus, cover with a lid and leave for 5–7 minutes, or until the clams have opened.

Remove the pan from the heat and scatter over the parsley and cracked black pepper. Spoon the clams into a serving dish or individual bowls along with the cooking liquor, discarding any shells that haven’t opened, and serve with grilled or toasted focaccia alongside a finger bowl of warm lemon water and an empty bowl for the clam shells.

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Clams with garlic, lemon & parsley

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