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Gosh, is it dinner time again? Quick, throw down your knitting and dial up MDK’s newest contributor, Sarah Ross! Most evenings you’ll find Sarah in her Brooklyn kitchen, whipping up something that’s special and delicious, that also lets her get back to her needles. We’ve known Sarah for years, as a passionate knitter who pops up often in the comments and the MDK Lounge, and relished her company at the MDK Knitting Getaway in Sewanee, Tennessee, where food is almost as big a topic as knitting. Today, we’re delighted to welcome Sarah and her breezy way with the pots and pans.

—Ann and Kay

Looking through my files for the first recipe to share here on MDK, I settled on this quick sauté of clams, shrimp, and chorizo. It fits the bill and has no season in my house. I’ve served it on any old Monday night and I’ve served it for New Year’s Eve with champagne.

Because I was making it for you, fellow MDK reader, I went to my local Chinatown and got fancy shrimp in the shell to go with the littleneck clams. So sweet and delicious. But use your favorite source for shrimp—I’ve used fresh and I’ve used frozen. You can also add or substitute mussels or squid.

It goes like this:

½ cup olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 cup canned or fresh chopped tomatoes

1 cup white wine

4 oz dried chorizo, sliced

2 dozen littleneck clams

1 lb shrimp

Handful of roughly chopped parsley

In a wide sauté pan warm the olive oil. I use a 12″ wide pan with 2″ deep sides. Gently sauté the garlic for about a minute till translucent but not brown.

Add the tomato and raise the heat a bit to get the tomatoes bubbling. Let the liquid in the pan reduce a bit, 5 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper but don’t go crazy as the seafood will add its own salinity.

Add the wine and let that reduce a bit by simmering for 5 minutes or so.

Add the chorizo and stir around in the lovely tomato broth for a minute, then raise the heat and add the clams. Stir and shake the pan regularly until the clams begin to open—about 5 minutes, depending on the clams. (Any clams that don’t open by the end of cooking should be discarded.)

Once the clams are opening add the shrimp and continue stirring and shaking the pan over the heat until all the shrimp are completely pink—another 3-5 minutes. Add a handful of parsley and drizzle a bit more olive oil over the whole dish. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad, and you’re done!

File it!

Save Sarah’s recipes in your MDK account with one click.

About The Author

For Sarah Ross, everyday cooking is about winging it—with a classic or an old favorite recipe given to her by a friend. These are the recipes that get stained with spills from being on repeat, the ones to share.

25 Comments

  • Sounds delicious!!

  • It “has no season”! My kind of cooking. Thank you Sarah!

  • This sounds fantastic. Thank you and welcome to my inbox, Sarah!

  • Sounds yummy; unfortunately I’m allergic to shellfish.

    • Nancy try the dish using salmon and cod or haddock in place of the shell fish ~ you’ll likely be able to shorten the cooking time.

  • My mouth is watering already!

  • Love this, Sarah!! Sounds delicious. Can’t wait to read more from you!

  • Too bad this post could not come with samples! The recipe sounds fantastic and the pictures are a tempting confirmation!

  • Ooh this sounds heavenly! Thanks Sarah!

  • YAY SARAH!!! This looks awesome and you just may inspire me to pick up my needles again!!!

  • Sarah! So good to see you here, and mmmm that is going to be a delicious dish.

  • Delicious – this one I will have to try! May end up making a sub or two, but that’s the way I roll.

    • Love subs! Tell me how it goes. Mussels, squid…

      • thx for the cod suggestion.

  • We cannot eat shellfish. What would you recommend as a substitute?

  • Almost paella. Add chicken thighs and rice!

  • Sounds so good! I’m a non-meat eater, would it taste as good with the chorizo left out?

  • How many people does it serve?

    • I would guess 4 to 6, depending on appetites and/or extra dishes.

  • Yay, Sarah! I’m so excited that you’re doing this and what a delicious meal. I can’t wait to make it!

  • But how do you eat it without becoming a mess? Must think of the hand knits I might be sporting.

    • Adult bibs! Tie a tea towel ’round your neck if wearing handknits…

  • We had this last night and it was sooo yummy, and very fast easy to make, thank you!!

  • Mmm, sounds easy and wonderful! Thank you, Sarah.

  • This sounds great! I think this will be the first MDK recipe I will make. Especially since I love clams but have always shied away from cooking them myself. Thank you!

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