My delicious, one pan wonder of steamed razor clams with ramps and white wine takes less than 15 minutes to cook. Slurp up the flavorful broth with delicate, sweet clam meat.
Last Saturday we took a day trip to Santa Ana to celebrate Mother’s Day. We picked up food at a few restaurants and found a spectacular seafood market with the freshest crabs, crawfish, clams, snails, and lobsters. With the razor clams being so fresh, I couldn't resist taking four pounds home. They went into a simple dish of steamed razor clams with ramps and white wine. There’s nothing more satisfying than biting into these tender, juicy clams and slurping up the flavorful broth.
How to Clean the Razor Clams
Razor clams need to be cleaned properly before cooking. Put the clams in a container with salted ice water for half an hour to purge the excess sand. Check the outside of the shells to make sure they aren’t broken. Any damaged shells should be discarded. If you see the white flesh sticking out of their shells, give them a quick tap and they should wriggle back inside the shell. Give the razor clams a quick rinse before you cook them.
How to Cook the Razor Clams
Cooking these razor clams didn’t take much time. I sauteed the ramps and shallots until fragrant, added in a splash of white wine, and threw in the razor clams and let them steam for 2-3 minutes until they fully open. Make sure you don’t overcook the clams or their meat will become tough and rubbery.
In less than 15 minutes, you can enjoy this one pan wonder of steamed razor clams that’s light, garlicky, and flavorful. The steamed razor clams turned out so delicious with the meat taking up the flavor of the ramps, shallots, and white wine. Make sure you have some baguette or sourdough to mop all that juice and a cold beer, white wine, or rose to wash everything down.
For more seafood inspiration, check these recipes: gambas a la plancha, garlic prawn tapas, mouclade, seared scallops with mango salsa.
Steamed razor clams with ramps and white wine
Ingredients
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 ounces ramps, green parts chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- ½ cup white whine
- 2 pounds Atlantic razor clams, purged
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set a large, lidded pan oven over medium heat and add olive oil.
- When oil is hot, add chopped ramps, ramp bulbs, and shallot. Let everything cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the white wine and turn heat to high. Add razor clams and immediately put the lid o the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until all clams have opened. Transfer the clams to a serving platter. Season the broth with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon the broth with ramps and shallot over the clams. Serve with slices of toasted baguette or sourdough.
Kim Chieffo
Hello Vu and Vy - I love your recipes by the way, I've tried a few and love them! For this razor clam recipe, which seafood market did you go to find fresh razor clams, and do you remember when they are in season?
Vy Tran
Hi Kim! We're so happy to hear you enjoyed our recipes. For the razor clams, I have gotten them from https://drydockfish.com/, 99 Ranch Supermarket in San Diego, Lucky Seafood Market in San Diego, and Song Hy Supermarket in Orange County. I usually see them from March until May. Good luck finding them!
Kim-Khue
Vy,
I just got back from Song Hy with several pounds of razor clams (and other seafood!). I'm so excited, I've never bought live razor clams before! One thing I forgot to ask you... how do I pick them? There were razor clams with the meat hanging out of the shells, and a few did not... I picked one of each (they're sold in packs so I could not pick one clam at a time... but curious which you would have picked. Will try out your recipes. Thank you for the suggestion!
Vy Tran
Hi Kim-Khue! I like the ones that stay in the shells or if you poke at them they go back in which means they're more active. Unfortunately they're sold in a bundle so you have to try to find the best one. I have a couple razor clam recipes on the blog (one with tamarind and bird's eye chili, another with scallion oil, and one razor clam salad) that I hope you'll like! Enjoy!
Mike
Can you tell me what ramps are ? Are they similar to garlic sprouts?
Vy Tran
Hi Mike! They're similar to wild leeks and wild garlic with two distinctive parts--the green leaves and bulb which are both edible and typically used differently in cooking. They're not similar to garlic sprouts.