Simple Steamed Clams In White Wine And Garlic

Prepare The Clams:

1. First, make sure that all the clams are alive. If any of the clams is open tap it on your counter to see if it closes. If it doesn't that means the clam is dead and you shouldn't cook it.
2. Place them all in a large bowl filled with cold water. Let them stand for about an hour out of the fridge to release most of the sand from their insides.
3. Gently rub off any sand or dirt from the shells of the clams under running water. They usually are already clean when you buy them. There are also specific cleaning brushes for doing this.
4. Transfer all clams to a strainer.

Cook The Clams:

1. Add clams to a large frying pan or skillet (preferably one that comes with a lid as we're going to cover the clams later on).
2. Pour 1 cup of water into the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Wait for a minute for the clams to open. And once they do turn the heat off and carefully transfer them to a plate.
3. Strain the water from the pan through a fine-mesh sieve covered with cotton or muslin cloth. And keep that water aside. This is done to ensure there are no remnants of sand within the clams.
4. In the same pan or skillet add the olive oil and heat over medium heat.
5. Add the onion and garlic and cook until very soft and caramelized.
6. Carefully transfer the clams back to the pan, pour the wine and wait for a minute.
7. Then pour the strained clam water you saved and season with a little bit of salt and freshly ground pepper.
8. Add the chopped parsley, put the lid on, and cook for about 3-4 minutes.
9. Serve clams with pieces of lemon. Squeezing some fresh lemon on each clam you're about to eat!