When anyone mentions clams I immediately think of Boston and, in particular, Legal Seafoods, a chain of restaurants renowned for its incredibly good seafood dishes including its signature clam chowder - a generous, thick, yummy meal-in-one-bowl served with oyster crackers.
Clam is the generic word for any bivalve mollusc, including tuatua, pipi, cockles and mussels, so all tastes are catered for. It's not often I get to the beach to dig my own tuatua or diamond shell clams, so I'm grateful I can now purchase them from selected fish shops, delis and online.
The tuatua from Cloudy Bay Clams are creamy, meaty and much better than the ones I scrabbled to find at the beach over Christmas.
Although I enjoy tuatua in bouillabaisse, steamed with lemon and garlic, and tossed through fresh pasta, I still love these elongated clams in a good fritter - especially with a few added flavours and textures.
Cloudy Bay Clams is eco-friendly and its surf clams carry the Friend of the Sea international sustainability seal of approval. All of its clams are indigenous to New Zealand and are harvested from their natural environment in the surf zone of our coastal waters. They are gathered in open mesh cages, reducing the collection of unwanted species. This technique also minimises damage to the surf zone.
Another gem is the diamond shell clam, which is full of plump, mild-flavoured meat, making it ideal for soups, curries, pastas and risottos. As with mussels, tuatua and diamond shell clams can be shucked (reserve the juices to add to your recipe), or steamed open in a large saucepan with a little water or wine and a few herbs.
Cover the shellfish initially, until the first few open. Remove the open ones to a bowl and patiently wait until the remainder open. Even if they are slightly open they will open a little more after the heat is removed. Any that are tightly shut should be discarded.
RECIPES
TUATUA FRITTERS WITH ASIAN FLAVOURS
I shucked the tuatua for use in these fritters. If preferred, you could steam them open (see the clam chowder recipe) and use the cooking juices in place of the tuatua juice.
1kg large tuatua in their shells
1 tsp each: diced kaffir lime leaf (or baby lime leaf), diced red chilli
1 small red capsicum, diced
Salt and white pepper to taste
1/2 cup each: coarsely chopped bean sprouts, coriander leaves, chopped
2 eggs, separated
4 tbsp each: self-raising flour, tuatua juice
Shuck tuatua over a bowl, reserving juices. You should have about 250g meat. Chop finely or mince.
Combine with lime leaf, chilli, capsicum, salt, white pepper, bean sprouts and coriander. Stir in egg yolks, flour and tuatua juice.
Whisk egg whites until stiff. Gently fold into tuatua mixture.
Cook fritters in batches, keeping cooked fritters warm in the oven. Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan. Drop heaped tablespoons of mixture into pan and fry gently until bubbles appear on surface.
Flip fritters and fry until golden on the base.
Great served with a little green salad and lime wedges. - Serves 4
CLAM CHOWDER
30 diamond shell clams, about 1kg
1/2 cup water
25g butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbsp each: flour, chopped parsley, chopped dill or fennel fronds
2 & 1/4 cups milk
400g boiling potatoes, peeled and diced
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup cream
Place clams in a large saucepan and add water. Cover and steam until clams open. Remove to a bowl.
Continue cooking remainder, uncovered, until all clams are open. Discard any that remain tightly closed. Reserve liquid for the soup.
Remove meat from shells - reserving any liquid - and roughly chop or mince.
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Saute onion until tender.
Add garlic and cook for 1 minute on medium. Add white wine and simmer until almost evaporated. Stir in flour. Add cooking juices, parsley, dill or fennel, milk and potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender.
Stir in clams and heat through gently. Add cream and serve. - Serves 5-6
CURRIED CLAMS, MALAYSIAN STYLE
Delicious Malaysian street food. Banana leaves give a characteristic flavour to this dish and are available, frozen, from Asian food stores. Great as a pre-dinner snack or light meal.
2 tbsp rice bran oil
Large piece fresh or frozen banana leaf
1kg diamond shell clams
1 tbsp each: curry powder, chilli sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
Brush a large, stainless steel frying pan with oil. Line it with the banana leaf.
Place on medium heat and add remaining oil. Add clams and stir.
As soon as clams start to open, stir in combined curry powder, chilli sauce and oyster sauce.
Cover and cook for a few minutes or until clams are open. Discard any that remain tightly closed. Serve immediately.
- Serves 4 as a snack
MUSSELS IN GARLIC & TOMATO SAUCE
Diamond shell clams could replace the mussels.
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large shallots, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup white wine
400g can diced tomatoes
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
20 mussels, bearded and scrubbed
1/2 cup coriander leaves
Heat olive oil in a large, deep saucepan.
Add shallots and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in garlic.
Add wine, followed by tomatoes and black pepper. Bring to the boil.
Add mussels, replace lid and allow to steam. Cook for 3 minutes, shaking pan occasionally.
Remove open mussels to a bowl and replace lid for a further 2 minutes or until remainder have opened.
Place opened mussels in two large bowls. Discard any mussels that remain tightly closed.
Add coriander to saucepan, then pour tomato mixture over mussels.
Serve with crusty bread.
- Serves 2 as a main meal