Clams

Loch Riddon at low tide

Loch Riddon Bothy looks out over Loch Riddon.  At high tide the whole of the area is covered in water but at low tide a huge area of sand is revealed.  This is rich in life - both seaweed and shellfish.  The most numerous shellfish are mussels and cockles or clams.  Wading birds patrol the sands looking for a tasty snack but if you go down onto the beach as the tide approaches its lowest point you will be rewarded with enough clams to make a simple supper for one or two.

A fresh clam on the beach

Amongst the seaweed, the little crabs, the encrusted mussels and the millions of empty shellfish shells you will spot these fat, round clams. Take a small bucket and put a little water in the bottom to keep the clams fresh while the search continues.

A bucket of clams

Once there are enough for your meal (maybe a dozen per person plus a few extra), bring them back to the bothy. It’s worth checking that they are all good - sometimes what you thought was a nice fat clam is in fact the two halves of the shell closed over sand.

At this stage you can leave them for a few hours in the bucket somewhere cool or go right ahead with supper preparations.

The first job is to scrub them clean in the sink. Then gather the other ingredients - some pasta (spaghetti or tagliatelle), garlic, parsley, white wine and olive oil.

Put a pot of water for the pasta on to boil and when it starts boiling add the pasta. Now turn on the frying pan (This will need a lid later) and when the oil is hot add the sliced garlic. Cook for a minute or two. Chop up the parsley and pop that in too. Now tip in the clams and a wine glass of white wine, give everything a good stir and put the lid on.

Clams with garlic, parsley and white wine

Drain the pasta and take the lid off the frying pan and you’ll see that most of the clams have opened - they’re ready! Any unopened ones should be discarded.

Add the pasta to the clams and serve.

A fabulous fresh meal harvested yards on the Bothy doorstep.