Little Neck Clams with Chorizo and Fennel Broth

Little Neck Clams with Chorizo and Fennel Broth

July 15, 2018

Prep: 5 min

Cook: 15 min

Total: 20 min

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A light and easy fun summer dish featuring silky littleneck clams, drenched in a savory fennel broth. Don't forget your crusty bread for soaking up every last drop of that broth!

By: A Wholesome New World

Ingredients

• 1 lb littleneck clams, rinsed and scrubbed
• 1/2 cup chopped fennel
• 1 link (~4 ounces) fresh chorizo
• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 TBSP minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 TBSP minced flat-leafed parsley
• Crusty bread for serving

Directions

• Step 1 Wash your clams first by filling a large bowl with cool water and place the clams in it. Let them soak for 20 minutes.
• Step 2 Remove chorizo from its casing. Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in a large skillet. Crumble the chorizo filling into the pan and cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and reserve. Oil from the cooking should remain in the skillet.
• Step 3 Add the chopped fennel to the skillet with an additional TBSP of olive oil if necessary. Cook over medium heat until it begins to soften and turn brown, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and browning, about 1-2 minutes. Season with the sea salt and smoked paprika.
• Step 4 Add wine and as soon as it simmers, add all of the clams and cover with a lid. Cook, covered, until the clams open, about 3-4 minutes. (Discard any clams that don’t open.) Add the chorizo back to the pan, scattering the chorizo over the clams. Add the parsley directly to the pan and remove from heat
• Step 5 To serve, divide clams and chorizo among 4 bowls. Ladle broth over the clams. Serve with crusty toasted bread on the side.

Hard to believe today marks 1 month at home with baby! Mom-ing to 2 under 2 has definitely been adjustment but we’re starting to get into a groove … more or less. The hardest part, besides the sleep deprivation, is finding any time to do much else, so unfortunately, cooking has fallen a little by the wayside. This is also due to the fact that our boiler is on the fritz and with limited hot water, we’re trying to reduce dish usage too. When it rains it pours am I right?!

But at the end of the day, we still have to eat and I can only justify ordering in so much takeout, so I’ve tried to take this challenge in stride. With limited time to cook, I’ve been trying to find ways to be as resourceful as possible and come up with quick weeknight dinners that are still enjoyable (and easy to clean up!). One-pan/one-pot dinners definitely fall into that category and clams (a summer fave!) are great from a time-efficiency standpoint; they cook up in a mere 5 minutes!

This was such a fun dish to photograph, which in turn makes it so fun to post. I am so disappointed when we make an amazing dish but the photos turn out meh. But when time is of the essence, staging the photo and achieving the perfect lighting is not always easy. On this particular evening, the summer dusk lighting was ideal and the rich palette of the clam shells against the fennel fronds and crusty bread set against the grey marble backdrop just worked so well together. This was one of my favorite dishes to photograph recently and I’m really proud at how these images turned out.

This recipe is the ultimate light & easy dish and packs so much flavor with just a few great ingredients. It’s perfect for a hot summer night when you don’t want to turn on the oven. Serve with a slice of crusty rustic bread for dipping (we couldn’t resist that gorgeous Balthazar Bakery boule), a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc, and you’ve got it made!