Clams in Green Sauce Recipe - Recipe for Almejas en Salsa Verde

By
Lisa & Tony Sierra
Lisa & Tony Sierra
Lisa and Tony Sierra are freelance writers and Spanish food experts who lead culinary tours of the country.
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Updated on 06/8/21
Clams in Green Sauce

Flickr CC / Leon Brocard

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 4 to 5 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
284 Calories
5g Fat
13g Carbs
35g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 5
Amount per serving
Calories 284
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 7%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 91mg 30%
Sodium 1755mg 76%
Total Carbohydrate 13g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 35g
Vitamin C 33mg 167%
Calcium 139mg 11%
Iron 4mg 24%
Potassium 929mg 20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

The Basque Country is located in the very north of Spain, bordering with France. It is well-known internationally for its cuisine. The Basque cuisine is full of delightful fish and shellfish dishes, because of its location on the coast of the Cantabric Sea. There are four traditional sauces used for seafood in Basque cuisine: red, white, green and black. Clams in Green Sauce, or Almejas en Salsa Verde in Spanish, is a typical Basque tapa, with flecks of parsley sprinkled throughout. It's easy to prepare as an appetizer, first course. Add a bit of pasta to make the main course for a light dinner. Serve with a light white wine, such as Txakoli.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds clams

  • 8 ounces white wine, divided

  • 1 small onion

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, or amount needed for frying

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

  • Sliced baguette, for serving

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Clean clams of debris, sand, etc. and rinse under cold water. Place in a medium saucepan and pour half of the wine over the clams, then add water until clams are just covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until clams open. Remove from heat, and place clams on a plate. Reserve liquid for later.

  3. Finely chop the onion and mince garlic. Pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a large, deep frying pan and heat. When hot enough, sauté chopped onions, adding garlic after 3 to 4 minutes. When onions are transparent, reduce heat to medium-low. Add the flour and fry. Slowly pour in wine and reserved liquid while stirring. Add clams and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until thickened. Adjust salt.

  4. Sprinkle parsley into the pan. Stir mixture. If the sauce is too thick, stir in water a bit at a time to thin.

  5. Serve with baguette slices.

Tip

  • This tapa can be made into a first course by adding spaghetti or linguine. While preparing clams and sauce as directed above, prepare pasta. The recommended serving size is 2 ounces of uncooked pasta, which equals approximately 1 cup of cooked pasta. So, cook 1/2 pound dry pasta to serve 4 persons.

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