Diamond Shell Clams

Whilst in Marlborough last week we enjoyed a tasting of Cloudy Bay Clams. To be fair I have had a few of these awesome little critters. These surf clams surround the country and most of us know the humble Pipi and the dance required to harvest them. These particular surf clams for todays recipe are called Diamond Shell. They are rich and buttery yet a clean fresh palate. Delicious raw and cooked.

To cook just add a quarter to a half a cup of water to a pan and bring to a boil, add in 500gm clams and lid on for a minute until the water is boiling again. We are looking to steam these morsels only long enough till you see them open, then lid off and remove the cooked clams and set aside.

Reserve half a cup of residual cooking water and into a pan on high heat then add 2 large knobs of butter, 10 finely diced capers, 2 finely diced anchovy fillets. Cook off for a minute or two, you are just trying to meld those flavours together. Then remove pan from heat, and fold in the clams, 10 chopped cherry tomatoes and a handful of herbs you like. For this we used Coriander and chives.

Plate up add a dash of pepper and you are good to go. I don’t add salt to this dish. A good quick simple dish for Pipi’s and Diamond Shells alike