Couple of weeks ago i had the opportunity to go to the London Borough market where i was looking to get some nice fishes….or anything good in general i could find.
Clams are after the mussels, the most common shells that we will find in the Greek seas. The venus clams (venus verrucosa) and the smooth clams (callista-chione) as they are known sometimes are similar in taste. They are caught in specific locations of Greece and love the sandy bottoms.
First the venus clams and then the smooth ones have extremely delicious, sweet, and crunchy flesh full of seafood.
They are a rich source of animal protein and have the highest iron content of any food (yes more than beef or liver). They are low in saturated fat and a particularly good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which makes them an ideal food for people with cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure / blood lipids and more.
The shells are opened with a knife. Place it on the back at the junction of its two shells and then twist without shaking the knife. The shell breaks and then we peel its meat. Obviously, that is if you want to eat them raw. Which is something we do in Greece a lot.
A little lemon or a few drops of olive oil, if you want, and this is the best way to enjoy them (their reaction to lemon is a sure way to control their freshness).
The second-best way to eat is to pass it on the grill: prepare a mixture with butter, chopped parsley, grated garlic, a little lemon, pepper and put a little on the half opened shells. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and if you want a little parmesan and put on the grill for 1′-2 ‘, just to get color. Also, they are steamed with a little wine and herbs until they open (2 ‘) and then extinguished with lemon, but this way they will lose part of their taste and their crunchy texture.
In Greek restaurants they are also used in pasta (when they do not have clams) but there they will inevitably harden. Generally, we do not cook them.
But of course, I am based right now in UK…
So after some consultation with my father from Greece, this is what we decided to do. Bare in mind, that for this recipe we used the venus clams, as i believe they are sweeter and more appropriate for cooking.
Ingredients
- Clams! as much as you want
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon of sweet mustard
- Olive oil
- Garlic
Soak the clams in water for about 1-2 hours. Wash them well, under some running water to remove any possible sand.
In a frying pan, put the olive oil and the unpeeled crushed garlic and cook over low heat until they are golden.
Now its the time to add the clams, stir them really well under low heat. You should notice that the clams would start to open after some minutes. (if they dont, throw them away).
In the glass, mix the mustard and the lemon juice. Feel free to add either coriander or parsley. Stir it reallly well and add it to the pan.
Continue to mix and stir for about 30 secs to 1 minute and turn off the heat.
Enjoy!
Bare in mind that they could be used as a side dish or main with pasta. Alternatively you could just eat them raw as we do in Greece, especially during Clean Monday. Either way, fresh clams are unbelievable!
