Razor Clams with White Wine Reduction Sauce
Razor clams look impossible to handle and cook at first glance, but once you do the damn thing, you realise there’s nothing scary about it. In fact, it’s recipes like this one that will make you want to cook it every single day. You treat it the same way you’d treat clams: you make sure you buy it live (you can tell if they’re alive by gently touching the flesh sticking out of the shell. If it shrinks back slightly, you know it’s good).
In the charming town of Bordeaux, France, everything with regards to food is treated with the utmost respect. At the Marché des Capuçins, vendors display the most robust selections of vegetables and fruits. I’ve never seen such beautifully grown strawberries that also taste as amazing as it looks (coming from New York City, this is a huge upgrade). Even the seafood is impeccable: you know they’re all freshly caught because the fish’s eyes and flesh are still glistening in fragrant omega-3 oil under the market lights.
Razor clams at the marché were sold at a relatively affordable price of around six euros per pack, which roughly held 12 to 15 of these gems. Back in Amsterdam, a pack of these would have been almost double the price. Judging by the value and quality, I knew this was a purchase I couldn’t pass on!
The sauce in this dish is inspired by the classic seafood pasta sauce bases I’ve seen from Instagram accounts like @mistermario_. I needed ingredients that would support rather than overwhelm the delicate flavours of the razor clams, hence the decision to use leeks instead of yellow onions. And to counter the texture of the soft vegetables and flesh of the razor clams, it made perfect sense to sprinkle garlic bread crumbs with parsley on top as a finishing touch.
I’ll never forget making this the first time: I was in a severely outdated kitchen of my friend’s apartment. We had limited kitchen supplies (no cutting board and very blunt knives!) and bad lighting, but the kitchen instantly felt cozy once the leeks, carrots, and butter started to perfume the entire house. Once the dish was served, we were blissfully slurping spoonfuls of razor clams, fillings, bread crumbs, and seafood-y goodness down our mouths, completely unaware of the heavy downpour outside on a Friday night (I will have to say, the Spotify algorithm for Drake’s “Laugh Now, Cry Later” radio playlist during dinner was also spot-on).
I’ve had fun cooking this hassle-free dish, and hope you’ll enjoy it, too.
Serves 2 people comfortably
30 minutes
You will need:
A large pan
Knife and cutting board
Wooden spoon for sautéing
Tongs for serving
Ingredients
12-15 razor clams
1 large carrot
1 large leek
2 cloves of garlic
1.5 cups grape tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon tomato concentrate (Mutti brand is great)
2 slices of lemon
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup panko bread crumbs (crushed croutons also work)
Parsley, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop your leek and carrot into small cubes, and smash one garlic clove with the flat side of your knife, leaving the skin in tact.
To prepare the garnish, first zest half a lemon, and place the zest in a large bowl. Chop the remaining two cloves of garlic into small pieces using either a knife or a garlic press, and give the parsley a rough chop to about a handful. Add the chopped garlic, parsley, and panko bread crumbs into the large bowl with the lemon zest and mix. Season with salt and pepper, then set the bowl aside.
In a large pan, heat the olive oil and butter at medium high heat until the butter has melted completely (but is not on the verge of burning). Add chopped leeks, carrots, and garlic clove to the pan and sauté until the leeks are soft and translucent. Cut two slices of lemon and add them into the pan as well.
Add the tomato concentrate and grape tomatoes. Using a spatula or large spoon, stir gently for three minutes, making sure the paste coats all the vegetables evenly. Pour the white wine in and let the ingredients absorb each others’ flavours for another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste (this would be a great time to do a quick taste-check).
Place the razor clams on top of the bed of bubbling vegetables and its sauce. Cover the pan immediately and let the ingredients cook lid-on for two minutes or until the razor clams have completely opened up and released its juices. Do not overcook the clams: if you do, they will taste chewy, like rubber.
Remove the pan from heat immediately and gently transfer the ingredients to a large plate. Sprinkle plenty of garlic and parsley bread crumbs as garnish, and serve immediately.
Tip: This dish is best enjoyed by ditching the fork and knife! Use your bare hands, and with the help of a small spoon, scrape the flesh of the razor clams towards your mouth while making sure you get bits of veggies, bread crumbs, and of course, the white wine butter sauce.
