Clams In Sherry Sauce

Shellfish lovers will enjoy this flavourful recipe for clams cooked in a piquant sherry-flavoured sauce.

Soak the clams in cold water for an hour to help remove any sand or grit inside them.

Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized , heavy-based saucepan until hot but not smoking hot.

Add the garlic and onion and reduce the heat.

Fry , stirring , for 2-3 minutes.

Add the chili and bay leaves and fry , stirring now and then , for a further 2-3 minutes , until the onion has softened.

Drain the soaking clams and add to the saucepan.

Increase the heat to high and pour in the sherry.

Cover the pot and cook , covered , for 2-3 minutes , shaking the pot once or twice.

Uncover the saucepan , check that the clams have opened and , using a slotted spoon , remove the clams from the pot.

Place the clams in a warm serving bowl , cover and set aside.

Meanwhile , briskly cook the sherry in the saucepan until reduced by a third.

Stir in the paprika.

Pour the sherry sauce over the clams , sprinkle with parsley and serve at once with lemon wedges.

clams, olive oil, garlic cloves, onion, dried chili, bay leaf, sherry wine, ground paprika, parsley, lemon wedges