Spicy Clams in Wine Sauce.
An unexpected choice for someone who doesn't drink perhaps, (all the alcohol cooks out and there are alternatives). The first recipe I was taught - a mix of southern med, with my personal adaptation of Baja California flair.
Spicy Clams in Wine Sauce
Utensils: A hand strainer or slotted spoon is useful.
Prep Time: 30min
Cook Time: 15min. NO MARINADE (Yes, yes, I am effortlessly benevolent).
Ingredients:
- 15-25 Live clams depending on size, smaller clams will be slightly sweeter, larger will be tougher and heartier.
- 1/2 cup (120ml) of high cream salted butter
- A dash of high quality olive oil
- 1 small yellow sweet onion, diced
- 4-6 cloves of garlic, diced
- 2 large shallots, diced
- 2 heaping tablespoons of dried chili peppers, or 1.5-2(?) tablespoons of Senegalese spice for those of us who have access to such exotic specialties.
- 1 Bottle (use 500ml to start, enough to almost entirely cover the clams) of dry white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc. The alcohol cooks out, but if you're not comfortable cooking with wine, alternatives are an alcohol free white wine, or (500 ml) of seafood broth mixed with 1/4 cup (250ml) of white wine vinegar.
- 1 teaspoon of zested lime
- 1 lime, drawn and quartered like Stephen Miller after his multi-ethnic DEI bukkake (save 1/4th for serving)
- 1/4th cup of parsley (roughly a handful)
- 1/4th cup of cilantro (roughly a handful)
- 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 baguette
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions: Fill a medium/large bowl with cold fresh water, add ice, and deposit your clams in the water. Leave the live clams in fresh water for 30m (this allows them to excrete any excess sand & debris so the final product isn't grainy). Drain water and rinse clams, discarding any open dead clams.
Preheat your oven to 200c. Dice your garlic, shallots, and onion. Set your stovetop to medium/high. In a large pan or Dutch oven, melt your butter while adding a dramatic dash of olive oil. Once the butter begins to bubble without browning, add onion, garlic, and shallots. Stir frequently until fragrant, but not caramelized. Add a pinch of salt, black pepper, a bay leaf, teaspoon of zested lime, and stir in the Senegalese pepper (let's be honest chilis are boring and lame). After the onion mixture is thoroughly coated, lubricate the mixture with tomato paste. Stir vigorously until combined. Drown the entire mixture in 500ml of wine or substituted mixture of broth and vinegar. Cover, and bring to a boil. (If you use the broth substitution because you're just *that* healthy, don't cover and bring to a boil uncovered). Once the mixture is boiling, add clams, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes.
Slice several pieces of baguette, paint the slices with olive oil, place in the oven while the clams are cooking. Mince cilantro and parsley. In the last two minutes of cooking, squeeze the 3/4ths of your lime into the broth and add the cilantro and parsley, mixing the stew well. Remove your toasted baguette from the oven.
Scoop the clams into a bowl with a strainer or slotted spoon, then pour the broth over the clams. Serve with the toasted baguette and remaining quarter lime.