Littleneck Clams With Cherry Tomatoes and Pearl Couscous
In this one-pot dish from Lidey Heuck’s cookbook, “Cooking in Real Life” (S&S/Simon Element, 2024), fresh clams cook together with garlic, white wine, shallots and tomatoes to form a deliciously fragrant sauce that’s perfect for mopping up with a piece of bread. As the clams open, they release their briny liquor, which gives the broth a salty, savory complexity. While this dish is particularly well-suited to a summer evening, you can make it any time of year; the tomatoes will sweeten and burst as they cook. The fregola or couscous gives this recipe enough heft to be a main course, but it can easily be stretched to serve 6 as a part of a larger spread.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 3pounds littleneck clams
- Salt and pepper
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2large shallots, chopped
- 4garlic cloves, minced
- 1small red chile (such as Fresno or red jalapeño), seeded and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 3cups cherry tomatoes (preferably a combination of Sungold and red cherry tomatoes)
- ½cup dry white wine (such as sauvignon blanc)
- ½cup pearl couscous or fregola
- 2tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
Step 1
Place the clams in a large bowl along with 1 tablespoon salt, and fill the bowl with cold water. Set aside to let the clams release any grit.Step 2
While the clams soak, prepare the sauce: In a large Dutch oven (or a deep 12-inch skillet with a lid), heat the olive oil over medium. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chile and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.Step 3
Add the cherry tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to collapse, 6 to 8 minutes.Step 4
Stir in the wine and bring to a boil.Step 5
While the wine comes to a simmer, lift the clams from the water and rinse well under running water, scrubbing if necessary.Step 6
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the clams to the pot, evenly nestling them into the sauce. Cover and cook until the clams open, 8 to 12 minutes, checking every few minutes and removing clams and placing them in a large serving bowl as they open. (This will prevent the clams from overcooking.) Discard any clams that do not open.Step 7
Bring the liquid in the pot back to a boil over medium-high heat and add the couscous. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the couscous is tender and the liquid in the pan has reduced, 10 to 15 minutes.Step 8
Off the heat, season the couscous mixture with salt and pepper to taste then carefully pour it over the clams. Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately, with crusty bread on the side.