CORN PORRIDGE WITH WEDGE SHELL CLAMS
Xerém de Conquilhas | Algarve
Serves: 4
■ 4 lbs (1.8 kg) conquilhas, wedge shell clams, palourde clams, surf clams or even cockles
■ 4 oz (120 g) smoked bacon, thinly sliced
■ 5 oz (150 g) chorizo, thinly sliced
■ 3 1/2 oz (100 g) Serrano ham, thinly sliced
■ 1 1/8 cup (280 ml) white wine
■ 1 2/3 cups (180 g) corn flour (or cornmeal pulverized in a food processor) or 1 1/8 cup (180 g) fine semolina, sifted
■ Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. The day before, scrub the shells of the clams to remove dirt. Discard any that don't close when their shells are tapped. Rinse the clams several times under cold water to remove any sand and grit, then put them in a large bowl and pour in enough water to cover. Add enough fine sea salt to make a brine with one per cent salt (see note) and stir well. Don't add too much salt because this may kill the clams. Leave to stand in the fridge for 12 hours. This will help to expel any sand inside the clams.
2. The next day, drain the clams and put them into a large saucepan. Add 2/3 cup (150 ml) water, cover with a lid and cook gently over a low heat for 5 minutes, or until they open. Strain the clams through a finemesh strainer into a large bowl and set the cooking liquid aside. Remove clams from shells and set aside. Reserve some shells for presentation.
3. Fill a small saucepan with
hot water (or other shellfish stock if you have any) and put over a low heat.
4. Put the meat into a large saucepan and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the clam cooking liquid and the wine, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the corn flour or semolina, and mix well.
5. Put the pan over a low heat and cook, stirring continuously, for 10 minutes, or until thick. If it's becoming too dry during cooking, add some of the hot water or stock.
6. Add half the clams, mix well and taste, and adjust the seasoning with pepper, if necessary. Finish the dish with the remaining clams on top.
Note: If you're using a litre
(1,000 g/1,000 ml) of water, for example, a one per cent brine would mean adding 10 grams (roughly 1 3/4 tsp or 8 ml) of sea salt.