Spiced Clams

Spanish clams, specially in the North, are much larger than clams found elsewhere, and have more succulent bodies. This modern recipe uses Arab spicing to make a hot dip or sauce. Serve with plenty of fresh bread to mop up the delicious juices!

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 inch piece fresh root ginger, grated
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 1/4 lb small clams, in the shell
2 tablespoon dry white wine
Salt and ground black pepper
Celery leaves, to garnish
Fresh bread, to serve

Preparation

Place the onion, celery, garlic and ginger in a large pan, add the olive oil, spices and chopped parsley and stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Add the clams to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the wine, then cover and cook gently for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Season. Discard any clams that fail to open, then serve, garnished with the celery leaves

Cooking tips

There are many different varieties of clam fished off the coast of Spain. One of the best is the almeja fina (the carpet shell clam), which is perfect used in this dish. They haved grooved brown shells with a yellow lattice pattern.
Before cooking the clams, check that all the shells are closed. Any clams that do not open after cooking should be discarded.

Best with...

Lusco Albarino 2005
Region: Rias Baixas
Rating: 90 - 'Lush, expansive and powerful..'

COMPOSITION: 100% Albarino grapes.

TASTING NOTES:
"Pale gold. Smoky, rich and full on the nose, showing deep orange, pear and mineral scents. Lush, expansive and powerful, with ripe pear, apple and tangerine flavors and a musky, minerally nuance. Palate-staining and deep, with silky texture and excellent length. As usual, an Albarino star of the vintage. (Classical Wines From Spain, Seattle, WA) 90 points"
-Steven Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: From 1984, José Antonio López revived world awareness and respect for Galicia's Albariño variety as founder and managing partner of the Morgadío estate, located in the Miño River district of Condado do Tea. He accomplished this by consistently offering a fully ripe style (not easy in this rain-soaked part of Spain), giving new dimension to Albariño's range of flavors - being the first to elicit comparisons to top Viognier. In 1996, José Antonio struck out on his own to create an intense, dry Albariño which would fully realize his personal ideals. A purchase option was obtained for Pazo Piñeiro, a twelve-acre southeast-facing Albariño estate in Alxén near Salvaterra do Miño (also Condado do Tea), featuring an important 16th-century granite manor house (Pazo). The thick-walled Pazo's cool, insulated cellar accomodates as the tiny, modern bodega facility.

Since 1996, Lusco Albariño has been consistently acclaimed by the Spanish and international press, establishing itself as the leader for authenticity and quality of this increasingly popular category. Approximately 40,000 bottles per year are produced of this full-bodied yet decidedly racy and mineral wine.