Lemon, parsley and spinach clams on toast

Name: Lemon, parsley and spinach clams on toast
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4 as a starter (2 as a main)
Ingredients: 40g unsalted butter; Olive oil for frying; 4 shallots, finely sliced; A few fresh thyme sprigs; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 100ml dry white wine; 100g spinach; 1kg cleaned clams; 3 tbsp soured cream; 4 sourdough bread slices; Large bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped; Squeeze of lemon

Published: 8 Mar 17
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

The juices from the clams cooked in white wine and soured cream are soaked up by the toasted sourdough, to make a heavenly lunch or impressive dinner party starter.

Instead of toast, try stirring clams through pasta in this elegant linguine dish.

Serves 4 as a starter (2 as a main)
Hands-on time 30 min

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Ingredients

40g unsalted butter
Olive oil for frying
4 shallots, finely sliced
A few fresh thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100ml dry white wine
100g spinach
1kg cleaned clams
3 tbsp soured cream
4 sourdough bread slices
Large bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
Squeeze of lemon

Method

Melt the butter in a large frying pan with a glug of oil. Add the shallots and thyme, then fry over a low-medium heat for 20 minutes until the shallots have softened and lightly caramelised. Stir in the garlic and fry for the final 2 minutes.
Turn up the heat to high, add the wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the spinach, clams and soured cream, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the spinach wilts and the clams open.
Toast the sourdough (halve if serving as a starter). Stir the parsley and lemon juice into the clam mixture, taste and season. Remove the thyme sprigs, then spoon the mixture evenly over the toast slices and serve straightaway.

Recipe from February 2017 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 333kcals
Fat: 15.9g (6.4g saturated)
Protein: 19g
Carbohydrates: 22.4g (3.5g sugars)
Fibre: 6g
Salt: 3.3g

delicious. tips

What to look for when you buy: the shells can be open or closed, but when you tap them on a hard surface there should be some movement to show the clams are alive. Ask your fishmonger when they were caught and make sure the shells aren’t damaged or broken.

To clean and prepare fresh clams: discard any with broken shells. Half an hour before you want to start cooking, fill a clean sink with enough very cold water to cover the clams, then add 4-5 tbsp salt – it should taste as salty as the sea. Leave the clams to soak for 30 minutes. This will help clean out any sand or grit that’s lurking inside the shells.

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