Razor Clams with Beurre Blanc Sauce

The most enjoyable part of cooking razor clams is watching them dramatically spring open as they are cooked on high heat. They have a meaty texture, with a delicate and fresh flavor.

This recipe includes a delicious beurre blanc sauce with some fresh parsley to serve over the razor clams. Alternatively, you could eat them right out of the saute pan, with a crusty chunk of bread to sop up the clam juice.

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Razor Clams with Beurre Blanc Sauce

The most enjoyable part of cooking razor clams is watching them dramatically spring open as they are cooked on high heat. They have a meaty texture, with a delicate and fresh flavor.

This recipe includes a delicious beurre blanc sauce with some fresh parsley to serve over the razor clams. Alternatively, you could eat them right out of the saute pan, with a crusty chunk of bread to sop up the clam juice.

Ingredients

• 32 oz fresh, live razor clams
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 3 Tbsp tarragon vinegar or nice-quality white wine vinegar
• 1-2 shallots, roughly 3-4 Tbsp finely minced shallots
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 14 Tbsp salted butter, cut into ¼” cubes and kept cold
• Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely sliced, as garnish

Instructions 

• Before starting to cook, make sure each razor clam you are planning on cooking is alive.
• Inspect and set your live razor clams aside in a bowl in the fridge while you make the beurre blanc sauce.
• To make the beurre blanc sauce, combine the white wine with the tarragon or white wine vinegar.
• Add the shallots, bring to a simmer, and continue to cook over medium heat.
• Cook the mixture until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, but the cooked shallots are still moist.
• Remove the mixture from the heat and add the heavy cream, stirring until combined.
• Slowly add in the cold, diced butter, and stir the butter into the sauce to create an emulsion.
• Once all the butter has been added, season the sauce with salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste.
• When the sauce is ready and being kept very gently warm, cook the clams on high heat in a small amount of steaming water or white wine in a large saute pan with a lid, until the clams have opened their shells and released their liquid.
• If any shells do not open after being cooked, discard those clams.
• When the clams have opened and are cooked, immediately plate in bowls and drizzle with the beurre blanc sauce.
• Garnish with the finely-sliced fresh parsley.
• Mop up the clam liquid in the saute pot using some slices of warm bread to serve on the side.
• Serve hot.

Notes

If the razor clams are not sticking out of the end of their shells and reactive to touch when you buy them, I worry that they are not fresh. Make sure you are dealing with fresh, live razor clams from a fish vendor you trust.
If any shells are broken and you aren’t sure if the clams inside are alive or not, I would always advise that you play it safe and discard any questionable razor clams.