🇰🇮 I-Kiribati Cuisine

Steamed Clams

Steamed Lagoon Clams

Prep Time 25 min
Servings 4
Difficulty Easy
Calories 166 kcal

Fresh clams harvested from shallow lagoon waters and steamed open in coconut water. A simple, mineral-rich delicacy gathered by women and children at low tide.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Soak clams in clean seawater or salted fresh water for thirty minutes to purge any sand from the shells.
  2. 2 Scrub the shells clean with a brush, discarding any that are already open and do not close when tapped.
  3. 3 Pour coconut water into a pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
  4. 4 Add the cleaned clams to the boiling coconut water, cover tightly, and steam for five to seven minutes.
  5. 5 Remove clams as they open, discarding any that remain shut after eight minutes of cooking.
  6. 6 Serve in the cooking broth with a squeeze of lime juice, eating the clams directly from the shell.

Did You Know?

Clam gathering on Kiribati lagoons is traditionally women work, and mothers teach daughters the best gathering spots from a very young age.