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Chorizo Steamed Clams Recipe

Recipe by: Chef John

"I have always just called these chorizo steamed clams, 'Spanish Clams,' since it seems like there's some variation of this on every Spanish restaurant menu I've ever seen. Sometimes they use beer, or white wine, or sherry; and many varieties of clams can be used. But the common denominator is the spicy, Spanish-style chorizo. I like to serve steamed clams with grilled bread."

Directions
Ingredients
Nutrition

Directions

Prep15 m
Cook15 m
Ready In30 m

1Place large pot over medium heat; add olive oil. Stir in diced onion; cook and stir until onions begin to turn translucent, 3 or 4 minutes. Add chorizo; cook and stir to render some fat, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Pour in white wine.
2Raise heat to high and bring liquid to a boil. Immediately add clams and distribute evenly. Cover and cook until clams open, about 7 minutes. During this time you can occasionally shake the pot to "stir" the clams using potholders or a kitchen towel to hold the pot handles. It's best not to open the lid and stir.
3When clams have opened, remove pot from heat. Stir in butter and parsley; allow butter to melt. Serve clams in heated bowls with lots of the liquid.

Footnotes

Cook's Note:
You can really adapt this kind of thing to your tastes. Cilantro instead of parsley, leeks instead of onions, and mussels instead of clams, just to name a few. Just make sure you have plenty of grilled, or toasted bread around to soak up the glorious broth.
The recipe yields enough cooked clams to serve 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main dish.

Ingredients