Ingredients
| 2kg Cloudy Bay clams | |
| 500ml dry white wine | |
| 250ml extra-virgin olive oil | |
| 1 bulb fennel, finely sliced | |
| 2 banana shallots, finely sliced | |
| 1 carrot, peeled and finely sliced | |
| ½ teaspoon coriander seeds | |
| ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns | |
| 2 sprigs lemon thyme | |
| 125g granulated sugar | |
| 125ml water | |
| 1 jalapeño, halved and seeded | |
| 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced | |
| 125ml chardonnay vinegar | |
| 125ml sherry vinegar | |
| lightly toasted baguette slices, to serve | |
| aioli (optional) | |
| dill fronds, to serve | |
| AIOLI (MAKES 250ML) | |
| 1½ cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped | |
| ½ teaspoon salt | |
| ¼ teaspoon sugar | |
| juice of ¼ lemon | |
| 250ml mayonnaise |
Instructions
| 1. | Rinse the clams thoroughly under running water. |
| 2. | Add the dry white wine to a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring the wine to a simmer and let it gently bubble for a few seconds to burn off some of the alcohol. |
| 3. | Add the clams to the pan, cover and steam. |
| 4. | Uncover the pan and use tongs or a slotted spoon to move any of the clams that have already opened to a large bowl. |
| 5. | Cover the pan again, checking and removing the opened clams every 30 seconds. Discard any clams that have not opened after 3-4 minutes of following this process. |
| 6. | Once the clams are cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the shells, placing the meat into a clean, heatproof bowl and discarding the shells. |
| 7. | In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium-low heat. |
| 8. | Add the fennel, shallot and carrot and a pinch or two of salt, and sweat until translucent, about 7 minutes. |
| 9. | Meanwhile, combine the coriander seeds, black peppercorns and lemon thyme sprigs and create a sachet by putting them into a double layered square of cheesecloth, bringing the sides together to form a pouch and securing with kitchen string. |
| 10. | Add the sachet, sugar, 125ml water, jalapeño, garlic and vinegars to the pan of vegetables. Simmer and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. The vegetables should be tender but not mushy. |
| 11. | Remove the sachet from the mixture and discard. |
| 12. | Pour the escabeche mixture through a fine-mesh sieve held over the bowl of clams. |
| 13. | Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then cover and chill well. |
| 14. | Transfer the vegetables from the sieve to a separate bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve. |
| 15. | If you wish to make the aioli, pound the garlic and salt into a paste. |
| 16. | Add the sugar and lemon juice and mix well. |
| 17. | Add to the mayonnaise and mix well. |
| 18. | To serve, bring the clams and vegetables to room temperature. |
| 19. | Spread toasted baguette slices with a thin swipe of aioli (if using). |
| 20. | Top with clams and vegetables. |
| 21. | Garnish with a drizzle of the escabeche liquid and dill fronds. |
Recipes & food styling Sean Connolly / Photography Jamie Bowering
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