Last Saturday my friend DC (my favourite Kiwi) and I went to Leeds to go to the Handmade in Yorkshire market in Victoria Gardens (more on this in my next post!). While we were in Leeds we took advantage of the wonderful indoor and outdoor Kirkgate markets where we stocked up on fruit and veg, fish, meat and I visited a haberdashery (I have a new sewing machine). We had a lovely time browsing the markets at a leisurely pace and looking for potential wedding inspiration for DC (she is getting married soon!) I picked up some fresh (live) clams, something I haven’t eaten in the UK, let alone cooked before.

I decided to keep it simple, clams have a delicate flavour and I didn’t want to overpower them. The only time I really remember eating clams was on a family trip to Barcelona where we had them with lovely tomato based sauces. Luckily I remembered that although clam shells are pretty large, the actual seafood inside isn’t massive so you need to make way more than you’d think for a light meal.

To make this you will need (per person)

2 large handfuls of fresh clams

2 cloves garlic

Olive oil

2 handfuls cherry tomatoes

A dash of chilli sauce (I used Srircaha hot sauce)

Half a glass of white wine

Wash your clams and check for any broken shells (as with mussels).

Leave the clams to one side. Fry the garlic in the oil on a medium heat until the garlic is soft.

Quarter the tomatoes and add to the garlic and add a dash of the chilli sauce. Fry until soft.

Add the clams and pour over the wine. Cover for 5 minutes.

Every so often stir the clams and cook until their shells have opened.

Serve with some crusty bread to dip your sauce into.

Sometimes the loveliest recipes are the most simple ones!