← Back to the recipe garden

🐟 Seafood

Clams in white wine with garlic and butter

Briny, buttery, and made for bread-swiping

⏱️ Time estimate: about 20 minutes

Fresh clams are steamed in white wine with garlic, butter, parsley, chives, and a little cream, then poured into a shallow bowl with plenty of crusty bread standing by.

Clams in a garlicky white wine sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh clams
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Fresh parsley and chives
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1/4 cup half-and-half
  • Sea salt
  • Crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

  1. Start the base. Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Soften the garlic. Add the minced garlic and cook gently for about 1 minute, just until softened and fragrant, but not browned.
  3. Add the clams. Tip in the clams and stir them through the garlicky oil.
  4. Steam. Add the white wine, chopped parsley, and a small amount of sea salt. Cover and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, until the clams open. Discard any that stay shut.
  5. Finish the sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the half-and-half until melted and silky.
  6. Serve. Transfer the clams and all the sauce to a shallow bowl. Garnish with more parsley and lemon slices, and serve with crusty bread.

Best part alert: the briny buttery broth at the bottom is absolutely the whole point, so do not forget the bread.