Slices of Mahogany Clam and Leek Stems

Ingredients

Mahogany clam,

• 5 live mahogany clams

Leek stems

• 4 leeks with a soft and juicy leek stems/ core
• 20 ml dill oil
• A little salt

Sea snails

• 1kg Perry winkles
• 5 dill stems
• 300 ml white wine
• 1 small shallot
• 1 clove of garlic
• 10g of butter

Buttermilk whey sauce

• ½ l of buttermilk
• 15g of butter
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 spoon of dill oil

Beach plants

• 24 pieces of small bunches stonecrop
• 28 leaves of beach portulak
• 8 small beach mustard leaves

Instructions

1. 1
   Mahogany clam: Open the mahogany clams gently and over a container on ice to save the juices. Trim up the clams, removing the excess flesh. Pass the juices through a double fishnet. Wash the clams in the juice and place in a container on ice. Then pass the juices again and store the clams in the juices. Keep in the fridge ready to slice thinly when serving.
2. 2
   Leek stems: Take the leek and remove the layers until you reach the stem inside. Trim the stem to ensure it is not woody it should be soft and juicy. Wash the leek stems fast and dry well. Peel the leek stems and place in a container with lightly dampened c-folds to ensure it doesn’t dry out. Brush with grape seed oil and blacken on one side. Put into a container with dill oil and let it steam with a lid on for 10 min approx in a warm place.
3. 3
   Perry winkles: Wash the perry winkles well and place in a pot. Add the white wine, dill stems, the peeled and quartered shallot and crushed garlic. Cover with water and simmer until tender usually about 2 hours. Pick out the perry winkles with a toothpick and discard the innards. Reduce the cooking liquid and add the butter and season with salt and reduced white wine. This creamy sauce will be used to glace in the perry winkles just before serving.
4. 4
   Buttermilk whey sauce: Freeze the buttermilk. When frozen hang the buttermilk to thaw in a cloth. The clear liquid that drips through is the actually buttermilk whey that you will need for this dish. Season the whey with salt and lemon juice.
5. 5
   Beach plants: Pick the beach plants into ice water. Change the water a few times and ensure there is no dirt or sand hiding in the beach plants. Spin the beach plants dry and place in containers with a damp piece of paper in the bottom and store the container on ice.
6. 6
   Serving: Have 4 room temperature plates ready. Start by cutting the charred, steamed and dill marinated leek stems in mouth full sizes with a pointed angle to them. Place 12 small pieces of the leek stems around the plates a little random. With a very sharp knife cut each mahogany clam in 8 semi thin pieces lengthwise. Place the slices of mahogany clams over most of the charred leeks stems. Dress the different beach plants around and warm the buttermilk whey gently so that it does not loose all its freshness and emulsify with the butter to a creamy froth using a stick blender. Take the froth and place in small serving pot season the sauce with the dill oil and put 2 good spoonfuls of the frothy sauce on each plate.