Recipe courtesy Chuck Hughes
Ingredients: [‘mayonnaise’, ‘dijon mustard’, ‘fresh cilantro’, ‘onion’, ‘jalapeno pepper’, ‘salt %26 freshly ground black pepper’, ‘tomatoes’, ‘serrano chili’, ‘onion’, ‘lime’, ‘fresh cilantro’, ‘olive oil’, ‘salt %26 freshly ground black pepper’, ‘lard’, ‘onion’, ‘garlic cloves’, ‘chipotle pepper’, ‘black beans’, ‘salt %26 freshly ground black pepper’, ‘clams’, ‘lime wedge’]
Quantity of Ingredients: [“”,”1 cup mayonnaise”,”2 tablespoons Dijon mustard”,”1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped “,”1 onion, finely chopped “,”1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped “,” salt u0026 freshly ground black pepper”,””,”4 tomatoes, seeded and diced “,”1 serrano chili, seeded and diced “,”1 onion, diced “,”1 lime, zest and juice of “,”1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped “,”1 touch olive oil”,” salt u0026 freshly ground black pepper”,””,”1/4 cup lard (pork fat)”,”1 onion, chopped “,”3 garlic cloves, minced “,”1 chipotle pepper, seeded and diced “,” about 3 cups cooked black beans”,” salt u0026 freshly ground black pepper”,”2 pounds/ 1 kg mexican chocolate clams (in shells)”,” lime wedge, to garnish “]
Number of Servings: 4
Steps: [‘For the dressing:’, ‘Put the mayonnaise, mustard, cilantro, onions and jalapeno in the recipient of a blender and pulse until creamy. Season with salt and pepper.’, ‘For the salsa:’, ‘In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, chile, onions, lime zest and juice, cilantro and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. If you like things spicier, put everything through a meat grinder, or a blender, and grind it up. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.’, ‘For the refried beans:’, ‘Heat the lard in a heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and chipotle pepper and continue sauteing for 1 minute.’, ‘Add a ladle of cooked beans and, using a masher, start mashing the beans. Once the first spoonful of beans has been mashed completely, keep adding more beans and repeating the process. The unique taste of refried beans occurs as a result of slowly frying the starches inside the beans in the lard, so you want to add the beans a little bit at a time, to make sure they all get good and fried.’, ‘Once all the beans have been mashed, add a little bean liquid or water, until you get the texture that you want. Keep it a bit looser than you eventually want, as they will continue to firm up as they cool off the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.’, ‘For the clams:’, “Scrub them under cool running water. Discard any gaping clams that don’t close when cleaned.”, ‘Set the clams on a BBQ grill over a solid bed of hot coals or over high heat on a gas grill. Close the lid on the gas grill. Cook the clams until they pop open, 6 to 8 minutes.’, ‘Serve with a spoonful of the dressing, the salsa and refried beans. Garnish with lime wedges.’, “Cook’s Note:”, ‘The Mexican chocolate clam, so-called for its brown-colored shell, is the largest West Coast bivalve. Reaching up to 6 inches across, the clams are very popular all along the coast of Central America. If Mexican chocolate clams are unavailable at your local store, you can use any other high-quality clams (still in their shells).’]