BEER-STEAMED CLAMS WITH CORN, MISO & CHILLI

MAKES ENOUGH TO SERVE 2–3 / ACTIVE TIME 35 MINUTES

This summery dish will become one of your favourites. Serve it with good crusty bread to dip into the buttery sauce.

1kg small clams or pipis (I like a lot!) 40ml extra virgin olive oil

25g unsalted butter, plus an extra 40g ½ brown onion, diced 1 stalk celery, diced small

½ large leek, thinly sliced and washed 2 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob, and

milk scraped from the cob (see note) 2 teaspoons white miso

½ cup (125 ml) beer (something light and erring towards sweet and dry, not bitter) juice of 1 lime fine sea salt

TO FINISH

mixed soft herbs (flat-leafed parsley, coriander, basil, French tarragon, chervil and/or chives cut into batons) to garnish

1 long green or red chilli, thinly sliced freshly cracked black pepper extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

TO SERVE

crusty bread

Wash your clams with cold water and keep them cold until you’re ready to cook. Heat a large sauté pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil and the 25g of butter. When the butter has melted, add the onion, celery and leek with a pinch of salt. Cook until soft but with no colour, about 10 minutes. Add the corn and the milk from the cob (see note) and continue to cook on low for another 10 minutes with a pinch more salt. Add the miso towards the end and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to high, add the clams, pour the beer over the top and immediately cover with a lid to steam the clams open. Once the clams have opened (discard any that haven’t), stir in the extra butter and squeeze the lime juice over the clams. Place the clams in a serving bowl and top with the mixed herbs, sliced chilli, a crack of pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with slices of toasted, crusty bread on the side.

Once you’ve cut the kernels off the cob, use the back of your knife to scrape the milky white liquid from the cob. This “milk” is super sweet and worth the added step. ■