We love clams and we love Thai food, so I knew right away this would be a winner. I mostly followed Hot Thai Kitchen’s recipe, but substituted chicken stock with Thai fish stock. These Thai clams are wonderfully fragrant and delicious.
Please note that the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal are not to be eaten. You could fish them out before serving, or warn your guests.
Ingredients
Serves 4 as a starter
1 kilo / 2 lbs live clams, allowed to purge themselves in salted water for at least an hour
180 ml (3/4 cup) coconut milk
240 ml (1 cup) Thai fish stock
1 stalk lemongrass, smashed and chopped
5 thin slices galangal
3 kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn
2-3 Thai chillies, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 Tbsp minced Thai palm sugar
freshly squeezed lime juice to taste
fish sauce to taste
fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
Combine 180 ml (3/4 cup) coconut milk, 240 ml (1 cup) Thai fish stock, 1 stalk lemongrass, smashed and chopped, 5 thin slices galangal, 3 kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn, 2-3 Thai chillies, minced, 1 shallot, thinly sliced, and 1/2 Tbsp minced Thai palm sugar in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil.
Add the clams.
Cover and allow to boil until the clams have opened. This will only take a couple of minutes. Do not boil the clams longer than necessary.
Add freshly squeezed lime juice to taste.
Add fish sauce to taste.
Add chopped cilantro. (Substitute with green onions if you don’t like cilantro.)
Stir to mix, and the clams are ready to be served.
Flashback
This asparagus salad can be made with either white, green, or a combination of white and green asparagus. I made a Dutch-Italian version using a vinaigrette and lightly toasted pine nuts, combined with hard-boiled egg and boiled ham.
Stefan's Gourmet Blog 
I wish I liked coconut. That looks really good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Michelle, you could omit the coconut milk. It would change the character of the dish, but it would still be very fragrant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Chicken Stock is a great substitution… much nicer result, I would say.
LikeLike
I used fish stock instead of chicken stock — are you saying I should use chicken stock instead?
LikeLike
Now, this is a dish for me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lovely recipe which however has left me puzzled ! I have cooked with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal for some fifty years and galangal is almost in daily use . . . I have never ever seen one recipe out of hundreds of cookery books which suggests they should be removed after cooking !!! What a mess and why ? Have even checked just now – tho’ lemongrass can be eaten raw if it is not finely chopped it is suggested it may be preferable to remove the whole stalk . . . . cooked all three are surely part of the dish 🙂 ?
LikeLike
Hi Eha, it is correct that in Thailand it is usually served with those parts still in there (or so I’ve been told by friends who’ve been to Thailand). But I only eat galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves if they have been minced very finely. I would not enjoy eating a 5 cm piece of lemongrass, for instance.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess I usually finely chop and but rarely mince and lemon-grass in bigger lengths simply does not enter my usual cooking. Decades back when I had close friends living and working in Bangkok I actually attended a number of courses at the ‘Royal Thai’ cooking classes . . . altho’ Thai has never been my favourite amongst SE Asian cuisines methinks I received a fair amount of basic knowledge of what is the usual . . . 🙂 !!
LikeLike
Cosa potrei usare al posto del thai fish stock?
LikeLike
Ciao Paola, potresti usare brodo di pesce (preferibilmente fatto in caso, avanzato di un’altra ricetta).
LikeLiked by 1 person
grazie! Tutto bene Stefan? Siete vaccinati?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sì, vaccinati completamente. Andiamo in Italia per vacanze a fino agosto — non vedo l’ora! E voi?
LikeLiked by 1 person
dove in Italia? Io solo Italia quest’anno. Vieni a trovarmi 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Che bell’idea! Facciamo un giro del nord. Alto Adige, Friuli, Veneto, Piemonte, forse anche un po’ di Lombardia 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
tour gastronomico o anche artistico? Comunque, a disposizione. Vi aspetto 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gastronomico e enologico 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
anche un po’ di paesaggio, dai 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
These look so good ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person