Ingredients
| 1kg fresh clams in the shell | |
| olive oil | |
| 1 shallot, finely sliced | |
| 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped | |
| 1-2 tablespoons ’nduja, to taste | |
| 1 tablespoon tomato paste | |
| 1 cup dry white wine | |
| sea salt and black pepper | |
| large handful of coriander, roughly chopped |
When I’m cooking at home, I have an innate, slightly neurotic need to always serve dishes to share. This is likely owing to some yet unpicked deep-rooted chef thing, but also because nothing quite compares with plonking down a beautiful big pan of something for everyone to fall upon like a flurry of gannets. This dish, with a stack of fluffy naan to mop up all the sauce, is absolutely the ticket. I first came across this combo in London a few years back and it’s gratifying to find it on a few menus back here now. Fair enough, too; clams and anything pig-related will always have me all out trotters-in-the-trough.
’Nduja (pronounced in-dou-ya) is a heady mix of pork and Calabrian chillies, that is prepared like a sausage and left to cure like salami. It is a cousin of the French andouille sausage, hence the name, but softer and much more assertive. You want some idea of the Calabrian temperament? This is it. Some versions are spicier than others. If you can’t find any, use soft chorizo instead, removing the outer casing.
As far as the clams are concerned, go for the little Southern or the larger Cloudy Bay ones – both are gorgeous.
Instructions
| 1. | Quickly soak and rinse the clams in cold, salted water to get rid of any sand and drain well. |
| 2. | In a large frying pan over a moderately high heat, add a few tablespoons of oil, then add the shallot and garlic and fry quickly until it is starting to soften. |
| 3. | Follow with the ’nduja and the tomato paste and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring, to let it darken and caramelise a bit. Take care not to let it burn. |
| 4. | Bring the heat up, add the wine and let it burn off and reduce by about a third. |
| 5. | Add the clams, mix everything around well and pop a lid over the top for 5-6 minutes, giving it the occasional shake, until the clams have opened up. |
| 6. | Taste and season well with salt and pepper, then throw in the chopped coriander and stir through. Serve immediately. |
Recipes and images
extracted from
Food Worth Making
Volume II by Sam
Mannering.Photography
and styling by Sam
Mannering. $65 from
sammannering.com