Ingredients

• 1kg Venus clams
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Preparation

1. Put clams into a large bowl and rinse them with cold water.

2. If the clams are sandy, cover them with water and add some salt to it. Leave for about 2 hours, so they will expel their sand. Discard any open or broken clams before cooking. Rinse the clams one more time to get all the sand out.

3. Wash, dry and chop the cilantro leaves.

4. Peel and slice the garlic. Put it in an oiled pan and fry until pale gold, 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the clams and white wine to the pan, cover with a lid and cook until the clams open, 5-8 minutes depending on their size. Discard any clams that failed to open.

6. Add the lemon juice (squeeze 1/2 lemon), cilantro, parsley (optional) and black pepper (optional) to the pan.

7. Serve in bowls with warm crusty bread to soak up the delicious juices. Enjoy!