Coconut milk gives a rich flavor especially with a combination of seafood and spices. Fresh clams in coconut milk is one of the favorite recipes you will love from the Asian cuisine.
After my first try at cooking clams, I wanted to make a curry that would pair perfectly with rice. This time, we headed to the wet market earlier than usual, around 9 a.m. on Saturday, to pick up fresh clams. I was amazed by the wide variety of shellfish available! They were selling out quickly, and most were already gone. The fishmonger, who only sold shellfish, mentioned that I should have come even earlier. Apparently, arriving earlier would have given me the chance to see an even greater variety of fresh sea shells. I was still late to catch all the varieties—what a surprise! I haven’t seen these shells being sold even in my hometown. Although I lived all my childhood near the sea, I was stunned and excited at the same time.
But I was not too late to grab my fresh clams after all. Lucky us! This time I found clams with a size slightly bigger in size than the ones I bought the last time.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
Fresh clams – 1 kg, cleaned (*see here)
Olive oil / Butter – 1 tbsp
Shallots – 2, finely chopped
Tomatoes – 2, finely chopped
Fish curry powder / Fish powder – 3 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Coconut milk – 200 ml
Water – 1 to 2 cups, depending on consistency
Salt
Coriander leaves for garnish (finely chopped)
Directions
1. Heat a heavy-bottomed container with oil or butter on medium-high. Fry onion till translucent for a few minutes. Add in chopped garlic and ginger. I used ginger paste as fresh ginger was out of stock.
2. Fry the garlic and ginger for a few seconds then add tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes until slightly mushy or saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the seafood powder or fish powder and mix.
3. Pour the coconut milk, turmeric powder and salt. Add 1 cup water depending on the thickness consistency for the curry.
Simmer for few minutes and check for salt. Add more if necessary.
4. Add the clams and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 5 – 8 minutes covered on medium heat.
Check to see if all the clams have opened. All of the clams will open by this time. Check for salt.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or bread.
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Stay Healthy!
