Steamed Clams in White Wine and Saffron Broth

steamed-clams

I’m always excited when I try to put together a new dish and it tastes amazing. It’s an extra bonus when it is super-easy too. That’s what happened with these clams so I just had to share the recipe with you. It’s not related to anything we are learning in school right now. We are actually cooking some dishes from several contemporary master chefs including; Mario Batali, Ming Tsai, Rick Bayless, Daniel Bouloud and Thomas Keller. Pretty amazing and intricate recipes. I post pictures on Instragram each night after class so if you are interested in seeing what we are cooking, follow me there. I’m sure I’ll come up with several dishes inspired by some or all of these chefs to share with you soon.

In the meantime, these clams are delicious and the broth is amazing. Cut up your favorite bread make sure you soak it all up. I used Schar gluten-free baguettes.  Since wine is a key flavoring ingredient, you want to use a nice one. I picked one of my favorites that is also very reasonably priced, Louis Jadot Macon-Villages. Instead of buying a ton of fresh herbs which could potentially go to waste, I used the Gourmet Garden‘s Italian blend  which I keep in my freezer. They have so many great herb blends and I received a bunch at The Big Summer Potluck to play around with including this one as well as lemongrass, basil, oregano, dill, garlic, thai spices and several others (they are all gluten-free). It is so convenient to know you always have them on hand in the freezer if you want to cook up something on a whim. Make these mouth-watering steamed clams any night of the week or for a special occasion. It is such a crowd-pleaser and so easy to prepare! Enjoy!

Steamed Clams in White Wine and Saffron Broth
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Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan
  • ¼ lb of ham, diced into small pieces (ask your deli counter to cut a thick slice for you or buy a pre-packaged single ham steak)
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced thin
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
  • 1 Tbl gourmet garden italian herb blend
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cups white wine (I used Louis Jadot Macon-Villages Chardonnay)
  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 3-4 dozen clams rinsed and picked over to remove those with broken shells or that are opened
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat a large pot or deep saute pan on medium and add olive oil
  2. Add diced ham, onion, garlic and herbs and saute until ham is cooked and onions are translucent then, toss in tomatoes and cook an additional 1-2 minutes
  3. Add white wine and saffron and turn heat up to high to boil off the alcohol for 2-3 minutes
  4. Add clams, reduce to medium-low and cover until all clams are open. Discard any that do not open after 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste
  5. Serve and Enjoy

 

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