Clams in Wine-Forward Broth
Spain 2026 · On land · Vivo Tapas, BarcelonaOil, garlic, wine, clam liquor, done. No flour, no breadcrumbs, no sofrito.
Start cookingIn JD’s words
Off the boat and back in Barcelona, at Vivo Tapas. Clams steamed open in white wine with garlic and good olive oil, a few cherry tomatoes warmed through at the end, and a clear broth you finish with bread.
This is version two, and the second version is the one worth having. The first leaned on fish stock and came out too fishy. Tasting it against the memory of the original, the note back was that the broth had been wine-forward and not fishy at all — so this version pours in the wine generously, leans on the clams' own briny liquor, and uses only a little fish stock, or none. Wine, clam juice and good olive oil is most of what you taste.
Use a wine you would happily drink. Its flavour concentrates in the broth, and in this version it is the star rather than the background.
Keep it clean. No flour, no breadcrumbs, no paprika, no onion, no tomato sofrito. Oil, garlic, wine, clam liquor, done.
If the broth tastes too winey for you, add a splash more water. If it tastes flat, lift the clams out and reduce it uncovered for another minute.
A few drops of good olive oil over the top at the table beads beautifully on a clear broth, which is half the reason to keep it clear.
The method
Cook it unhurried.
- 01
Purge the Clams
Soak them in cold salted water — about 30g of salt per litre — in the fridge for one to two hours to get the sand out. Rinse well. Discard any that are cracked, or that stay open when you tap them.
- 02
Start the Base
Warm the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook it gently for 30 to 60 seconds, until fragrant but not coloured. Browned garlic makes the broth cloudy and heavy.
- 03
Reduce the Wine
Pour in all the wine and let it bubble for two to three minutes. This cooks off the raw alcohol edge and concentrates the wine — it is the whole key to the wine-forward taste.
- 04
Add the Liquid
Pour in the light fumet, or the water, and bring it to a simmer.
- 05
Steam the Clams
Turn the heat to high, add the clams, cover, and cook for three to five minutes, shaking the pot once or twice, until they open. Discard any that stay shut. Do not overcook them — they turn rubbery fast. As they open they release their briny liquor into the broth, and that is where the clean seafood flavour comes from.
- 06
Finish
Add the halved cherry tomatoes for the final minute, so they just warm and soften without breaking down. Taste before you salt anything — the clam liquor is usually salty enough on its own. Scatter with parsley and add a small squeeze of lemon if you like.
- 07
Serve
Straight away, in shallow bowls, with plenty of broth and bread for dunking.
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