Do you love clams? Then you will enjoy the delicate taste and elegancy of these Clams in White Bean Sauce! This dish is perfect for a romantic dinner or special occasion.
Shut out to all clam lovers out there, who bravely embrace the unappealing look of this mollusk and go for its delicacy taste!! ? Wouldn't you say, it is an act of courage well worth the prize?
I am a huuuuge clam lover, which shouldn't surprise anyone cuz -I simply love all-things-food. I am lucky because I can literally go anywhere, and food is never ever a problem but rather a pleasurable experience and source of inspiration and connection.
True fact...
I spent a lot of time during my 20's going to our local island of Cape Cod. There (sadly) I would sort of 'pretend' to be digging in the sand with my young children but really I was digging for clams, and a lot of it. I became obsessed in chasing those little bubbles or air/ water in the sand and dig, dig dig... hehe, it was kind of fun. No actually, it was a lot of fun and just thinking about it right now, makes me wanna drive to the Cape and dig up a bucket full of clams!
Although there was nothing wrong with it, I don't think those folks at the beach had signed up to watch a grown woman furiously digging for clams and using her children to pretend 'we are just having fun'.
I am weird like that. Fortunately, there are jobs for weird people like me -it's called food blogger ?
Enough with the stories, let's talk about this amazing recipe and what makes this Clam in White Bean Sauce so incredibly tasteful. First of all, when working with such delicacy, you don't really need to add much otherwise it can be overwhelming. So I choose to work with leeks because of its mild flavor and to add some texture to the dish, alongside with white beans for a complete and tasty meal.
Now, sea food goes really well with herbs so don't be afraid to use lots of herbs. And lemons! The zest from a lemon will bind these flavors together in perfect harmony.
Clams in White Bean Sauce
Ingredients
- 10-12 littleneck clams scrubbed
- 15 oz can cannellini beans rinsed
- ¼ cup olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 1 leek thinly sliced
- ½ red onion sliced
- 1 lemon
- handfull cilantro and scallion
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a cast iron skillet. Add sliced leek and onion. Cook until leek is translucent (3-5 minutes) then add garlic, clams, zest and juice from a half lemon. Cover and cook until some clams start to open (5-7 minutes).
- Transfer the open clams to a bowl. Cover skillet and cook until remaining clams open. Discard any clams that don't open.
- Remove all open clams from skillet. Add in beans, cilantro, scallion and season with salt and pepper. Loosen sauce with water, if it looks too thick.
- Return clams to skillet and toss. Garnish with more fresh cilantro, lemon juice and drizzle with olive oil.
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