Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato (Clams with Garlic and Coriander)

Ingredients

• 1 kg clams, scrubbed
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 6 garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 fresh chilli, thinly sliced
• 1½ dl white wine
• 5 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• ½ tsp black pepper
• salt to taste

Method

1. 1.

   Purge the clams — Soak the clams in a bowl of cold, heavily salted water for an hour, changing the water twice, so they spit out their sand. Discard any that are cracked or that stay open when you tap them, then drain and rinse.

2. 2.

   Infuse the oil with garlic — Warm the olive oil in a wide pan with a lid over medium-low heat and add the sliced garlic and chilli. Let them sizzle gently for 2-3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and barely blond at the edges. It must not brown — this is a white sauce, not a golden one.

3. 3.

   Steam the shells open — Turn the heat to high, tip in the clams all at once, pour over the white wine and clamp on the lid. Cook for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan every minute, until the shells have opened.

4. 4.

   Bind the sauce off the heat — Throw out any clam that stayed shut. Off the heat, stir in the coriander, the lemon juice and the black pepper, then swirl the pan for half a minute so the oil and the clam liquor come together into a lightly thickened sauce. Taste before you reach for salt — clams bring their own.

5. 5.

   Bring the pan to the table — Serve straight from the pan while the shells are still steaming, with the lemon wedges for squeezing and the green, garlicky juices spooned over the top.