Clam and kumquat tostada with peanut salsa macha

Name: Clam and kumquat tostada with peanut salsa macha
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1kg palourde clams; 20ml of ponzu; 10ml of soy sauce; 1 lime, juiced; 1 fennel bulb; 1 lemon wedge; 1 dried habanero chilli; 1 dried pasilla chilli, or 1 dried guajillo chilli; 1 dried chipotle chilli; 1/2 star anise; 2 garlic cloves; 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted; 200ml of rapeseed oil; 50g of toasted peanuts; 4 tostadas; 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and mashed; 5 kumquats, washed and thinly sliced; 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced; sesame seeds; coriander leaves

by Nud Dudhia (Breddos Tacos)

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easy
4
35 minutes

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These crunchy, colourful tostadas are topped with avocado, raw fennel and clams dressed in a spicy salsa macha. The dish is inspired by Nud's time in the Mexican state of Baja California – read what he had to say about it here.

First published in 2019

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The inspiration for this dish comes from La Guerrerense. I could never recreate the incredible tostadas Sabina makes on that dusty, sun-drenched street corner in Ensenada, so instead I’ve reinterpreted her classic and used the flavour of super-sweet clams, bittersweet kumquats and a smoky, nutty salsa to make a tostada that ticks all the boxes.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

1kg palourde clams
20ml of ponzu
10ml of soy sauce
1 lime, juiced
1 fennel bulb
1 lemon wedge

Peanut salsa macha

1 dried habanero chilli
1 dried pasilla chilli, or 1 dried guajillo chilli
1 dried chipotle chilli
1/2 star anise
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
200ml of rapeseed oil
50g of toasted peanuts

To serve

4 tostadas
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and mashed
5 kumquats, washed and thinly sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
sesame seeds
coriander leaves

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Equipment

mandoline

Method

Submerge the clams in cold water to clean. Boil a large pan of water and add the clams. Drain as soon as the shells open and set aside to cool

Slice the fennel bulb in half and thinly slice using a mandoline. Set aside in a bowl of iced water with a wedge of lemon inside to prevent discolouration

For the salsa macha, toast the habanero, pasilla and chipotle chillies in a dry frying pan until they release a small amount of smoke (be careful to not burn them), then transfer to a blender. In the same pan, cook the garlic and toast until blackened and charred. Peel, then add to the blender along with the cumin, garlic and star anise, blitzing until you have a coarse powder. Place this mixture into a large heatproof bowl

Heat the oil to 180°C in a large pan. Being very, very careful, pour the oil over the chilli mixture. Stand back as it may spit and splutter. Mix in the peanuts and set aside

Remove the clams from their shells. Mix around 2–3 tablespoons of the salsa macha into the clams alongside the lime juice, ponzu and soy. Check the seasoning – the clams should taste bright from the citrus, smoky and spicy from the chilli and salty from the soy

Place a tablespoon of crushed avocado atop each tostada. Top with slices of fennel, a couple of tablespoons of clams and a few slices of kumquat and chilli. Garnish with coriander and sesame seeds and serve