French cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Clams with Garlic Butter

Clams on the half shell baked crisp under garlic-herb butter and breadcrumbs.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1.2 kg clams
• 150 g soft butter
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 2 shallots
• 60 g breadcrumbs
• 100 ml white wine
• 1 lemon
• coarse sea salt
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Soak the clams in cold salted water for 30 min. so they release sand, then scrub thoroughly and discard any that are open.
2. Bring the white wine to a boil in a wide pot, add the clams, cover and steam for 3–4 min. until the shells open; discard any that stay shut.
3. Mince the garlic and shallots very finely, finely chop the parsley, and mix both into the soft butter with pepper and a little salt to make a smooth herb butter.
4. Remove the empty half shell from each clam and stand the clams close together on a baking sheet sprinkled with coarse sea salt.
5. Top each clam with about 1 tsp of herb butter, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake under the oven's top heat preheated to 220°C for 6–8 min. until the crumbs are golden and the butter bubbles.
6. Serve at once with lemon wedges and plenty of white bread to mop up the garlic butter that runs out.