Garlic clams

Clams don’t have good press do they? Clammed up. Closed like a clam. Clammy hands. Quite a repulsive picture there, totally undeserved, because they are the nicest little sea things, much tastier than whelks or sea snails, easier to prep and cook than mussels.

Linguni alla vongole – poetry on a plate. But clams are just as good only with a bit of crusty bread. Swimming in garlic sauce – the best. Here’s how.

They don’t need scrubbing like mussels do – clean little animals. The best tip to store them is to release them from the nasty plastic bag, if, like me, that’s how you get them from the fishmonger. Rinse them well in cold water and put them in a bowl, covered with a wet paper towel – they will keep like this for a day or two, obviously the longer you keep them, the more casualties you’re going to have: the ones that don’t close when tapped against the sink, and the ones that won’t open when cooked.

Cook them with plenty of garlic and white wine – only the best for the little creatures, same as what YOU would want. And then – off they go into spaghetti or linguine, or soup or chowder, or just as a splendid dish of little morsels of saltiness (am I turning into Nigella???) with the juices mopped by some good bread, preferably home baked that morning.