Clams are an ideal food for the modern Paleo chef. They’re delicious, super easy to prepare, and packed with nutrition. A modest 100-gram portion (weight before cooking, without shells) provides over eight times the USDA’s dietary reference intakes (DRI) for daily consumption.1 This same portion also provides 78% of your daily iron requirements, substantial amounts of selenium, manganese, and vitamin C, and 13g of protein. That’s pretty incredible when you consider that clams are over 80% water.
Our garlicky saffron clams leave you with an incredibly flavorful broth, which you can either drink or make into a soup. While this recipe can be prepared sans saffron, if you decide to spice the dish with it, be sure to not drain the broth down the disposal. Saffron is a prized spice not only because it is handpicked, but also each flower yields only three stigmas. To put it in perspective, saffron takes over an acre of land and hundreds of thousands of flowers to produce just one pound of saffron.2
Saffron has been revered since time immemorial for its healing properties. Modern science has confirmed that saffron extracts have chemo-preventive properties against cancer.3 But if you don’t have saffron on hand or prefer to spend your money elsewhere, not to worry! Just follow the directions below, omit the saffron and still enjoy a fabulously healthy, delicious clam dish.
- 2 lb clams
- 1 tomato
- 1 pinch saffron (optional)
- 1 bundle fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 small bundle fresh thyme, stems removed
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Freshly milled black pepper
- Put the saffron in a bowl with about 1 cup of hot water. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Wash the clams in cold water to remove any silt or other sediment. You’ll need to submerge them several times in water, straining each time until the water is clean and no visible silt remains.
- Cut the tomato into halves and grate each half on the large holes of a box grater; discard the skins.
- Strain the saffron threads, pouring the water into the pot in which you will cook the clams. Add the tomato, cilantro, thyme, garlic, lemon juice, black pepper, and another 1 cup of water. Bring to boiling, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add the clams, stirring frequently for about 3 to 5 minutes. The clams are ready when the shells open and the meat is tender-firm. Serve immediately, retaining the cooking water for drinking or as a base for soup.
For hundreds of pure Paleo recipes be sure to check out The Real Paleo Diet Cookbook and The Real Paleo Diet Fast and Easy.
Christopher James Clark, B.B.A.
@nutrigrail
Nutritional Grail
www.ChristopherJamesClark.com
References
1. Nutrition Data. Retrieved September 4, 2014 from //nutritiondata.self.com/facts/finfish-and-shellfish-products/4180/2
2. CNN. (July 23, 2008). The world’s priciest foods. Retrieved September 4, 2014 from //money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fsb/0807/gallery.most_expensive_foods.fsb/4.html
3. Abdullaev, FI. (January 2002). Cancer chemopreventive and tumoricidal properties of saffron (Crocus sativus L.). Experimental Biology and Medicine, 227(1). Retrieved September 4, 2014 from //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11788779
