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Almejas chocolatas
Loreto's big chocolate clams baked with butter, garlic, chilli and cheese
Loreto, on the Gulf of California side of Baja, is famous for its almejas chocolatas: large clams named for their glossy brown shells, sold by local divers and cooked at seafood stands along the bay. One popular way is to open them, top the meat with butter, garlic, chilli and melting cheese, and bake them until bubbling. Chocolate clams are rarely found elsewhere, so use the largest hard-shell clams you can buy, such as quahogs or cherrystones. Serve them hot as a starter with lime and cold drinks. Chef's tip: chop the clam meat before returning it to the shell, so every bite gets butter and cheese instead of one chewy mouthful.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
To serve
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Check the clams one by one. Discard any with cracked or broken shells, and any that are open and don't close when you tap them firmly on the counter.
Step 2: Dissolve 2 tbsp salt in 8 ¼ cups cold water, add 12 large hard-shell clams and leave them in the fridge for 30 minutes to spit out any sand. Lift them out, scrub the shells under cold running water and drain.
30 minStep 3: Put the clams in a large pan with 100 ml of water, cover and steam over a high heat until the shells open.
5 minStep 4: Discard any clams that stay shut after cooking. Don't try to force them open: that is the one rule never to break with shellfish.
Step 5: When cool enough to handle, twist off the empty half of each shell, loosen the meat and chop it roughly. Return it to the half shells and set them on a baking tray, propped up with crumpled foil.
Step 6: Heat the grill to high. Mash 2 ⅛ oz butter with 2 garlic and 1 serrano chilli and put a little on each clam, then cover with 4 oz Chihuahua or mozzarella cheese.
Step 7: Grill for 4–6 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbling and golden in spots.
5 minStep 8: Serve straight away with 2 limes and coriander scattered over.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does almejas chocolatas take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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