A really simple recipe made with the best quality ingredients can be just as good as a three day gastronomic creation. This recipe is one of those. Be sure to use the best tomatoes you can, this would be ideal way to use one of the punnets of Isle of Wright Heritage tomatoes and of course our palourde clams!
Serve with either some crusty bread or toss through some linguine for a more substantial supper.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
- About 500g mixed tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1.5kg fresh live palourde clams
- A glass of white wine
- 30g butter
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves only, finely chopped, to finish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.
Halve the tomatoes and place them in a large, deep-sided roasting tin. Scatter the garlic over the tomatoes, season well with salt and pepper and trickle over the extra virgin olive oil. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and blistering around the edges.
Meanwhile, scrub the clams well under cold running water. Discard any with broken shells and any that are open and do not close if you tap them sharply against the side of the sink. (Open clams are dead, and since you don’t know how long they’ve been dead, it’s best not to eat them.)
Take the roasting tin from the oven and add the clams, settling them in among the tomatoes so you have as shallow a layer as possible. Sprinkle over the wine and dot with the butter. Add a little more salt and pepper. Give the tin a good shake, then return it to the oven for a further 8-12 minutes or until all, or almost all, the clams are open. Discard any that have not opened.
Remove from the oven and scatter with chopped parsley, if you like.
Serve in warm bowls, with lots of warm, crusty bread.