This dish is a vegetable packed take on the traditional spaghetti vongole. I’ve used sea greens for their saltiness and crunchy texture and courgetti as a quick alternative to pasta.

When buying clams, save time and ask the fish monger to scrub them for you, this way you just need to give them a quick rinse before cooking. Make sure to discard any clams that remain closed after cooking as these may be bad.

 

You’ll need…

500g fresh clams

A handful of mixed sea greens (or just samphire will do)

1 bulb of fennel

1 courgette, spiralised

A handful of baby vine tomatoes

1 small clove of garlic

A large knob of salted butter

The juice of half a lemon

A splash of white wine

A handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

Cracked black pepper

 

Method…

Spiralise the courgette into a bowl and set aside. If you don’t have a spiraliser you can use a peeler to make ribbons.

Use a mandoline or a sharp knife to finely slice the fennel and place in a bowl with the sea greens and the finely sliced baby vine tomatoes – these also work with the mandoline.

Wash and roughly chop the parsley and grate the garlic into a paste and set aside.

Gently tap each clam on your work surface or carefully poke them with a blunt knife to make sure that they close up. If any don’t close tightly after a few taps or a poke, they’re probably dead and not worth risking so chuck them away.

Now heat a large, deep pan and melt a generous knob of butter with a squeeze of lemon and a splash of white wine. Add in the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes before tipping in the clams and covering with a lid. Give the pan a good shake every few minutes.

Once all the clams have opened, you can add in all of the vegetables and cook for a further 3-5 minutes, depending on how al dente you like them.

Plate up immediately and garnish generously with parsley, a squeeze more lemon and some black pepper.