Spanish Clams Recipe

Ingredients:

30 littleneck clams,
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil,
1/4 cup dry sherry,
3 oz. chopped serrano ham,
1 hot red pepper, sliced,
1 small onion, chopped finely,
3 tablespoons olive oil,
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro,
salt and pepper to taste,
and the juice of 1 or 2 limes.

Recipe:

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pan over moderately high temperature. Add onion and pepper and saute for 4 minutes. Add the serrano ham and saute for 2 minutes more. Deglaze with the sherry and add the clams. Increase the heat to high, cover the pan and cook until the clams open, about 5 minutes. Discard any unopened clams. Stir in the chopped fresh cilantro and season the clams to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve the Spanish clams hot.

Clams need more careful washing than mussels, because they are more likely to have sand or mud inside. Soak the clams for 5 minutes and rinse thouroughly.