You are on page 1of 5

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall combines pork and shellfish in this week's recipes | Life and style | The Guardian

17/03/2009 21:34

Sounds fishy
Pork and shellfish? On the same plate? Too right, says Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall The Guardian, Saturday 7 February 2009

The pork/shellfish combo is a regular part of the River Cottage repertoire. Photograph: Colin Campbell/Guardian I can clearly remember the first time I was struck by the genius of combining shellfish with pork. It was in a little Portuguese restaurant in west London, which is sadly no longer there. I had porco alentejana - clams with salt pork, or thereabouts. It's one of those culinary revelations when you think, "Yes! This really works. It will therefore be a recurring pleasure from now until the end of my days." No less memorable was the first time I dabbled with the combo in my own kitchen. It was with the first ever batch of homemade chorizo made from my first ever homereared pigs. And with some razor clams gathered at a particularly low spring tide. With the friendly guidance of local fisherman Bill Sales, now sadly no longer with us, I learned the trick of identifying the needle-eye blowholes of these succulent, sandburrowing clams. And I learned how to coax them to the surface by tipping a little pile of salt on top of the hole, and sluicing it down with a squirt of sea water from a Fairy Liquid bottle. Eight times out of 10, after a delay of 30 seconds or so, the indignant clams shoot to the surface, an inch or two of their cut-throat shell protruding above the sand. You have to be quick, but canny. Delay, and they'll shoot back down. Pull too fast or too hard, and you'll tear them, leaving the juicy, muscular foot, which is the prime eating, behind under the sand. You have to hold on, tweaking and pulling them firmly but not violently. Sooner or later, one of your pulls will coincide with a moment of muscle relaxation on the part of the clam, and the prize will be yours. Back at home, slices of the chorizo went into the frying pan and were sizzled until crispy. Then a splash of wine and a knob of butter. And when that was all bubbling, in went the clams, on went a lid, and they were steamed open for a couple of minutes. The whole sweet, salty, spicy pile, running with paprika- and garlic-flavoured oily juices from the highly spiced sausage, was attacked with fingers and bread. It was, and

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/07/shellfish-pork-recipes-hugh-fearnley

Page 1 of 5

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall combines pork and shellfish in this week's recipes | Life and style | The Guardian

17/03/2009 21:34

is, unbelievably good. The pork/shellfish combo is now a central part of the River Cottage repertoire, something we turn to in the colder months when local shellfish are at their plump, juicy best. Squid, scallops, oysters and mussels have all had the chorizo and/or bacon treatment, and all caused great delight in those who have man-handled them into their mouths. Incidentally, the old adage that you should eat oysters only when there's an "r" in the month is a pretty good guide for other bivalves, too. Most clams, cockles and mussels spawn in summer, so February is a good time to feast upon them. For the best results in such dishes, make sure you use "cooking" chorizo, which is quite soft and lightly cured, rather than the firm, dry, long-cured "slicing" sausage. That said, at River Cottage we make our own chorizo for cooking. It's such a simple and satisfying process that I'd encourage you to do the same. You don't even have to make it into a sausage, just store the mix in a Tupperware tub in the fridge, where it will keep happily for at least a week, then break off little chunks for cooking with your shellfish. (Or eggs, or potatoes, or bread, or chicken...)

Tupperware Chorizo with clams and purplesprouting broccoli

Hugh's new take on the clams-and-sausage combo. Photograph: Colin Campbell My latest take on the Portuguese clams-and-sausage combo, delicious with the year's first sprouting broccoli. Serves four as a starter. For the chorizo 750g pork belly, coarsely minced 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika 2 tsp hot smoked paprika 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tbsp sea salt 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly toasted tsp cayenne pepper 50ml red wine Freshly ground black pepper To cook the dish 150g purple sprouting broccoli 1 tbsp olive oil 400-500g clams, scrubbed Freshly ground black pepper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/07/shellfish-pork-recipes-hugh-fearnley Page 2 of 5

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall combines pork and shellfish in this week's recipes | Life and style | The Guardian

17/03/2009 21:34

Squeeze of lemon juice To make the chorizo, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Heat a little oil in a frying pan, make a small patty of the mixture and fry on each side for a few minutes, until cooked through. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly - the flavours develop as the mix matures, so go easy. Cover and store in the fridge for at least 24 hours (and up to a week). You won't need more than a handful for this dish; use the rest to add spicy, savoury bite to all manner of dishes. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, cook the broccoli for two minutes, then drain and set aside. Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over a high heat, add the oil and about 150g of the chorizo mix, broken into pieces the size of a walnut. Fry for three to four minutes, stirring as the meat releases its salty, spicy fat, until it starts to crisp up. Move the chorizo to one side of the pan, check the pan is still really hot, then add the clams. Cover, rattle the pan and leave for a couple of minutes, until the shells open. Remove the lid, add the broccoli and cook for another minute, tossing regularly, so everything gets coated in the fat. Season with pepper and lemon juice (the chorizo is already salty), then tip on to warmed plates. Eat with chunks of bread to mop up the juices.

Steamed mussels with sausage and aoli


Based on a traditional recipe from Ste in the south-west of France, in which raw mussels are stuffed with pork, closed with string and cooked in a tomato sauce. It's a lot of work, so I've simplified it. Serves two. 20g butter 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 leek, white part only, finely sliced 1 tbsp thyme leaves 200g herby sausages, casings removed, broken into 2cm pieces 1 tbsp chopped fresh marjoram 400g tin chopped tomatoes 120ml dry white wine 1kg mussels, well scrubbed Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley For the aoli 2 cloves garlic, chopped A pinch of flaky sea salt 2 egg yolks 1 tsp mustard...#8805; A sprinkling of ground white pepper 200ml olive oil (not extra-virgin) 2 tbsp lemon juice Make the aoli first. With the flat of a large knife, work the garlic and salt into a paste, then scrape into a bowl. Add the yolks, mustard and pepper, whisk, then add the oil a drop or two at a time, whisking vigorously as you go. When you've used about 20ml of the oil, start to drip in a little more at a time. After you've used 100ml of oil, whisk in half the lemon juice - this will turn the mayo much paler. Now add the oil a little more quickly, whisking as you go. When all the oil is incorporated, add the second tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste the aoli, and season to taste.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/07/shellfish-pork-recipes-hugh-fearnley

Page 3 of 5

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall combines pork and shellfish in this week's recipes | Life and style | The Guardian

17/03/2009 21:34

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, leek and thyme. Saut gently until the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes, then add the sausage and cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes, until lightly coloured. Stir in the marjoram, tomatoes and wine. Raise the heat, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the mussels, cover and cook until they open (discard any that don't) - three to four minutes. Season to taste. Divide between two warmed bowls, sprinkle with parsley and serve with the aoli and good crusty bread.

Shellfish chowder with Bacon

Shellfish chowder: mop up the juices with lots of bread. Photograph: Colin Campbell Loosely inspired by the clam chowders of New England, this one uses stock, instead of the more traditional milk. Serves four. 1 tbsp olive oil 2 knobs of unsalted butter 150g smoked bacon (or pancetta), cut into small cubes or lardons 1 onion, diced 1 large leek, white part only, quartered lengthwise and sliced thin 2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 large, waxy potato (such as Cara), peeled and cut into 5mm cubes 750ml fish stock 1kg cockles (or small clams such as palourdes) 1 glass white wine 50ml double cream Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp chopped parsley Put a large, heavy-based saucepan on a medium-high heat, add the oil and a knob of butter, and saut the bacon until it releases some fat. Add the onion, leek and garlic; cover and sweat for five minutes, without letting them colour. Add the potato, cook for five minutes more, add the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, until the potato is tender. Meanwhile, scrub the cockles under cold water, discarding any that are damaged or open. Put a large, wide pan on a high heat, add the wine, a glass of water and a knob of butter, and bring to a boil. Add the cockles and cover. After a minute or so, shake the pan, cover again and cook for two to four minutes, until the cockles open (discard any that do not). Tip the pan into a colander placed over a bowl to catch the juices. Set aside a few cockles and pick the rest from their shells. Strain the juices through a fine sieve and add to the chowder, along with the shelled cockles. Stir in the cream, season to taste and reheat gently, if necessary. Stir in the
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/07/shellfish-pork-recipes-hugh-fearnley Page 4 of 5

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall combines pork and shellfish in this week's recipes | Life and style | The Guardian

17/03/2009 21:34

parsley and serve finished with the shell-on cockles, accompanied by lots of bread to mop up the juices.

guardian.co.uk/hughfearnleywhittingstall Go to rivercottage.net for the latest news from River Cottage HQ.

Ads by Google
Free Delicious Recipes Look Up Any Recipe! Get Daily Recipes Now. Free Toolbar Recipes.alottoolbars.com/Clam The Well Hung Meat Co. Saving Our Bacon with Organic, Free-Range Pork www.wellhungmeat.com Shellfish Delivery Huge Variety of Shellfish Delivered Special Offers. Luxury Shellfish www.TheFishSociety.co.uk guardian.co.uk Guardian News and Media Limited 2009

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/07/shellfish-pork-recipes-hugh-fearnley

Page 5 of 5

You might also like