Clams In Ginger Broth

Vongole allo Zenzero
Fresh ginger is perhaps a new addition to clams in Venice rather than a continuation of its use since the days of the spice trade and it may well be as a result of recent Asian inspiration. Restaurant chefs have found that some people don’t like to eat garlic so they think of other flavourings such as chilli or ginger. It is really important to check the clams before using them to make sure they don’t contain sand or are already dead.

We get our children to drop them one by one into a bowl from a 15 cm (6 in) height and if they have sand in them they will burst open and release the sand. This way you can discard any that do contain sand, any with broken shells or any that are open and don’t close with a tap, which means they are dead. You can also make this recipe with cleaned mussels.

Serves 4 as a starter