an idea for spring clams (or mussels!)

a farmer’s market creation ready in under 15 mins

what you need

*makes one serving with a lot of sauce :)

a dozen clams (or mussels)

1 shallot, chopped

handful of ramps (or chives or green onions), chopped

few baby radishes, thinly sliced

spoonful of your favorite chili crisp (I recommend fly by jing or lao gan ma)

~1/2 cup white wine

unsalted butter

freshly squeezed lemon juice

fresh bread, toasted

what you do

wash/rinse your clams thoroughly to remove any dirt or sand clinging to the shells. if using mussels, make sure to clean and remove the beard. keep in cold water until ready to use.

heat a few tbsp of butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and when hot add in your chopped shallots and ramps. I like to add a pinch of salt to help draw out the moisture. Once softened (a few mins), add in chili crisp and cook until toasty and fragrant. add clams followed by white wine. the wine should sizzle/steam immediately upon being added to the pan. allow wine to come to a simmer before covering and steaming for 5-6 mins until clams are open. it may need longer, just continue to check periodically until most clams are open.

set aside clams from your pan (discarding any that remained closed) and bring sauce to a boil. squeeze some lemon juice into the sauce and allow to reduce for 1-2 mins. turn off the heat, then add in a few tbsp of COLD butter. swirl continuously until butter is fully emulsified into the sauce. this technique is called ‘mounting’ with butter and can be applied to any pan sauce as a finishing technique to make it glossy, smooth, and round out the flavor.

pour sauce over reserved clams and top with more chopped ramp greens and radishes along with another squeeze of lemon. serve with toasted bread for sauce sopping