Clams In Sherry Sauce

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 1/4 lbs fresh clams
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced lengthways
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 dried chili, de-seeded and finely chopped
• 1 -2 bay leaf
• 1 cup manzanilla sherry wine
• 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
• parsley, chopped, for sprinkling
• 4 lemon wedges, to serve

Recipe

• 1 soak the clams in cold water for an hour to help remove any sand or grit inside them.
• 2 heat the olive oil in a medium-sized, heavy-based saucepan until hot but not smoking hot.
• 3 add the garlic and onion and reduce the heat. fry, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.
• 4 add the chili and bay leaves and fry, stirring now and then, for a further 2-3 minutes, until the onion has softened.
• 5 drain the soaking clams and add to the saucepan. increase the heat to high and pour in the sherry.
• 6 cover the pot and cook, covered, for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pot once or twice.
• 7 uncover the saucepan, check that the clams have opened and, using a slotted spoon, remove the clams from the pot. place the clams in a warm serving bowl, cover and set aside.
• 8 meanwhile, briskly cook the sherry in the saucepan until reduced by a third. stir in the paprika.
• 9 pour the sherry sauce over the clams, sprinkle with parsley and serve at once with lemon wedges.