Photo of Clam stew with fennel and tomatoes by WW

Clam stew with fennel and tomatoes

5
Points® value
Total Time
45 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
25 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Moderate
Clams are naturally high in sodium, so taste the broth before you add salt to this recipe--you probably won’t need any.

Ingredients

Littleneck clams

32 item(s), (about 4lbs)

Fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp(s)

Olive oil

1 tbsp(s)

Shallots

1 large, peeled, cut lengthwise into thin slices

Garlic

3 clove(s), large, minced

Uncooked fennel bulb

1 item(s), (about 1 1/2 lb) quartered, thinly sliced, fronds reserved

White wine

½ cup(s), dry variety

Grape tomatoes

2 cup(s), halved lengthwise

Fresh parsley

½ cup(s), Italian variety, chopped

Crushed red pepper flakes

0 tsp(s), pinch, or to taste

Italian bread

6 oz, ciabatta variety, cut evenly into 4 slices, grilled or toasted

Instructions

  1. Scrub clams thoroughly to remove as much grit as possible; rinse well. Discard any cracked or open clams; set aside remaining clams.
  2. Heat a large wide pot over medium heat. Add oil and shallot; cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 1-2 minutes (be careful not to burn garlic). Add fennel slices and reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, 10-12 minutes.
  3. Add wine and clams; increase heat to high and cover. After 5-6 minutes check pot for opened clams. Use tongs to transfer any open clams to a large bowl; cover bowl with foil to keep warm. Rearrange clams in pot to give them room to pop open; cover, and repeat process, removing clams when they open. When all clams are open and have been transferred to bowl, about 15 minutes total (any clams not open at this point should be discarded), uncover pot, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 2 minutes to thicken broth.
  4. Stir tomatoes, parsley, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice into pot; cook about 1 minute to heat tomatoes.
  5. Divide clams among 4 bowls, add a piece of toast to each bowl and ladle in broth; garnish with fennel fronds.
  6. Serving size: 7-8 clams, 1 piece toast, 1 cup broth

Notes

To make this dish heartier, add a can of rinsed, drained white beans to the pot at the same time you add the wine and the clams.