Gourmet Recipes: coquinas and Champagne

COQUINAS AND CHAMPAGNE A CULINARY DELICACY FROM THE SEA

BY HELLE BARLEBO FROM CHILI GOURMET CATERING

“We always have a reason to drink Champagne” – Helle

Coquinas (or wedge clams) are light and delicious, and brilliant as tapas, a snack, a starter or the crown of any shellfish main course. They also go well together with a healthy lifestyle, as they are rich in folate (B-vitamin), B12, selenium, chromium and protein. Therefore, I thought that this recipe would be perfectly timed just after the festive season, when many people are looking to get back into shape. The coquina lives in shallow water, especially in the Cádiz and Huelva areas here in Andalucía, which gives us the pleasure of savouring one of our local products. What perhaps keeps many people from using all the wonderful recipes available for this clam (and other species) is that they often come across as an unpleasant experience if not cleaned properly, with crunches of sand between the teeth. My best advice is to spend sufficient time making sure they are cleaned well before use, and here is how you do it… After thoroughly cleaning the fresh shells with running cold water, put them in a large surface bowl and cover with cold salty water – approximately 20 grams of salt per litre of water. If possible, place the clams in only one layer, to ensure they don’t spread sand onto any other clams below. Change the water after 15 minutes and be careful to separate the clams from the sand. Repeat this process as many times as necessary, until there is no more sand on the bottom of the bowl, then rinse again with normal cold water and you’re ready to do magic in the kitchen.

Ingredients (Serves 4 people)

1 kg fresh coquinas 6 garlic cloves in slices 2 finely cut shallots 1 shot of your favourite virgin olive oil 1 large spoonful butter juice from ½ lemon freshly chopped parsley Maldon flake salt and pepper to taste 1 glass of Champagne or cava (plus one glass for the chef) Prepare a one-minute sauté of the garlic and shallots in olive oil in a frying pan, at a medium-high temperature. Add the clams, which will quickly start to open, the champagne and lemon juice and let the liquid reduce by half. Before serving – and this dish is completed in only a few minutes – add butter and parsley and season with a little salt and pepper. Be careful with the salt as the clams are salted naturally. Coquinas are quite different from most white clams: they have an attractive dark blue shell inside that only appears when they open. They are a wonderfully tasty delicacy, but this recipe can also be used for other kinds of clams (or mussels). If you’re brave, make a hot and spicy variation by adding one sliced fresh red chili together with the garlic, and try it with freshly chopped coriander instead of parsley. Have fun and enjoy life...

“ONLY THE UNIMAGINATIVE CAN FAIL TO FIND A REASON FOR DRINKING CHAMPAGNE” – OSCAR WILDE

Chili Gourmet Catering… by Helle Barlebo Tel. (+34) 666 627 105 helle@chiligourmet.es www.chiligourmet.es