Gandofli (Alexandrian garlic clams)
Gandofli: small Mediterranean clams tossed in a hot pan with garlic, cumin and lemon until they open
Along the Alexandria Corniche and in the old Anfushi fish quarter, gandofli are a summer seaside snack, often sold by the plateful with lemon and sometimes eaten raw. Raw shellfish carries a real risk of food poisoning, so this home version cooks them: the little clams go into a hot pan with olive oil, garlic, a pinch of cumin and chilli, and steam open in a minute or two, releasing sweet, salty juices that mix with lemon into a sauce for mopping up with bread. Buy them live from a reputable fishmonger and cook them the same day. Chef's tip: soak the clams in salted water in the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking so they spit out their sand; nothing spoils them faster than grit.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb live small clamssuch as carpet shell or venus clams
- 2 tbsp saltfor soaking
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 5 garlic clovesthinly sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 2 lemons1 juiced, 1 cut into wedges
- 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsleychopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Dissolve 2 tbsp salt in 2 litres of cold water, add 2 ¼ lb live small clams and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes so they purge their sand. Lift them out (leaving the grit behind) and rinse.
30 minStep 2: Sort the clams before cooking: throw away any with cracked or broken shells, and any that are open and stay open when tapped sharply on the worktop. Those are dead and not safe to eat.
Step 3: Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan with a lid over a medium heat. Add 5 garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute until pale golden, then stir in 1 tsp ground cumin and ½ tsp chilli flakes for a few seconds.
1 minStep 4: Turn the heat to high, tip in the clams, cover and shake the pan. Cook for 3–5 minutes, shaking now and then, until the shells have opened wide.
4 minStep 5: Take off the lid and discard any clams that have stayed shut. Don't keep cooking them hoping they open: they are not safe, and overcooking the rest makes them rubbery, the most common mistake with clams.
Step 6: Squeeze over the juice of one 2 lemons, toss with 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and serve straight from the pan with the lemon wedges and bread for the juices.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gandofli (Alexandrian garlic clams) take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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