The Times Magazine - UK (2021-01-30)

The Times Magazine 31

CLAMS WITH SHERRY AND SERRANO HAM

SERVES 4 AS A TAPA

PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINUTES, PLUS SOAKING. COOKING TIME: 10 MINUTES

Clams, garlic, pimentón, jamón and sherry... What could be

more irresistible?

• 1kg clams • 100ml olive oil • 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 1 shallot or half
  a Spanish onion, finely chopped • 6 slices jamón serrano (cured ham), roughly
  chopped • 1 tsp plain flour • 1 tsp hot pimentón, although the sweet variety will do
  as well • 150ml fino sherry (see note below) • Sea salt and freshly ground black
  pepper • 2 tbsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley • Bread, to serve

1 Soak the clams in cold water for 20 minutes to allow them to release
any sand trapped in their shells. Rinse thoroughly under cold water and
discard any that are open, broken or don’t close when tapped firmly.
2 Heat the oil in a large frying pan (wide enough to hold all the clams)
over a medium heat and add the garlic, onion and jamón. Cook until
the onion is translucent, but not coloured.
3 Add the flour and pimentón and stir-fry for 20 seconds to cook the
flour. Add the sherry, stirring all the time and then quickly flambé by
setting light to the pan using a lighter or long matches. If you don’t
want to flambé, just cook for 1 minute so the alcohol evaporates.
4 Add the cleaned clams to the pan, turn up the heat and shake the pan
vigorously, tossing the clams a couple of times. Season to taste and stir
in the parsley, cover with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes until the clams
are fully opened (throw away any that remain closed). Stir again before
serving with lots of fresh bread to soak up the sauce.
Omar’s note Fino is the driest of sherry varieties and should be drunk
cold. This delicate sherry doesn’t keep well after the bottle is opened,
so make the best use of it.

MY MUM’S COD WITH PEAS AND PARSLEY

SERVES 4

PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINUTES. COOKING TIME: 20 MINUTES

I hate to say this, but my mum isn’t the most gifted of cooks.

However, there are about seven dishes that she cooks that cannot be

beaten. This cod loin in parsley sauce is one of them. I’ve tried to better

it, but it can’t be done, so here is her recipe.

• 100ml olive oil • 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced • 1 tsp plain flour


• 50ml white wine • 200ml fish stock (fresh or made with a stock cube)


• Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped • 1 x 142g tin cooked peas,
  drained, or 100g frozen peas, defrosted • Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper


• 1kg cod fillet, cut into 4 portions

1 Put the olive oil and garlic in a large frying pan and place over

a medium heat (you want to start frying from cold so that the oil

becomes infused with the garlic aroma). When the garlic starts to turn

golden, add the flour and toast it for a minute or so before adding the

white wine, stirring all the time. Add the fish stock, little by little,

stirring constantly so you get a smooth sauce.

2 Add the chopped parsley and peas and bring to the boil. Season

the cod fillets with salt and pepper and then place in the pan, skin-side

down, and reduce the heat to low.

3 Cook the cod fillets for 3 minutes, shaking the pan gently to

release the juices from the fish – this will make the sauce even more

delicate and flavoursome. Carefully turn the fillets over and cook for

a further 4 minutes.

Omar’s note If my fishmonger has them, I buy a handful of clams

to add to this dish. After cleaning them, simply throw them into the

pan just after you add the cod.

Eat!

SPANISH

FOR FISH EATERS