How to make sake-steamed clams with butter, leeks, seaweed and udon noodles in less than 10 minutes, plus a bonus Southeast Asian clam recipe
- This quick and easy recipe can be served with udon noodles or bread to soak up the delicious sauce
- Kombu adds a subtle umami flavour, and the nori seaweed can be swapped for shiso leaf for a different flavour
Steamed clams are easy to prepare, and make for a tasty casual dinner when served with melted butter. But with just a little more work, you can cook clams that make a hearty, delicious dish fit for company.
I like to serve both of these dishes with noodles, which soak up the sauce. If you prefer, omit the noodles, and serve the clams with bread.
Sake-steamed clams with butter, leeks, seaweed and udon noodles
People tend to think of udon as the thick noodles served in soup at inexpensive Japanese restaurants, but there are many types. For this recipe, buy dried udon that’s about the thickness of linguine.
The Japanese leek is smaller than the European leek, which is sometimes called a Welsh onion. Japanese negi are about 1cm in diameter, and because they are more tender, the whole thing can be eaten. With European leeks, only the white and pale green parts are tender enough to be eaten, although the leek tops can be simmered with other ingredients to flavour soup stocks.
For this dish, use clams with shells about 4cm (1½ in) long or smaller. Small mussels are a good substitute for the clams, but don’t use the large, green-lip variety, because they are tough and coarse.
The kombu is optional, but it does add a gentle umami flavour; if you leave it out, you will probably need to add a little more salt. To vary the flavour, try substituting fresh shiso leaves (cut into a fine chiffonade) in place of the shredded nori.
This dish takes less than 10 minutes to cook.
