Instant Pot Thai Coconut Clams
These Thai-inspired clams are salty, tangy, and rich from the coconut milk. If you can’t find fresh lemongrass, substitute a couple of sliced garlic cloves and the grated zest from half a lime instead. The broth won't have quite the same flavor, but it will still taste terrific.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 shallots halved lengthwise and sliced
- 1 stalk fresh lemongrass
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth or chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 2 Thai red chiles or jalapeño peppers, seeded and sliced
- 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 2 pounds clams scrubbed
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 scallion white and green parts, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
- 1 lime cut into wedges, for squeezing
Instructions
Prepare the broth
- Using the sauté function, heat the oil in the pressure cooker.
- Add the shallots and sauté until they are soft and browned at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel the outer layers from the lemongrass stalk and smash the inner core with the side of a heavy knife to bruise it (this helps release the flavor). Finely chop the core.
- Add the lemongrass to the pot along with the stock, ginger, jalapeños, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
- Stir until the sugar has dissolved, and then bring the sauce up to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute.
- Stir in the coconut milk and simmer until it has reduced by a third and is beginning to thicken, 5 minutes.
Pressure cook, finish, and serve
- Add the clams, cover, and cook on low pressure for 1 minute.
- Release the pressure manually. Discard any clams that didn’t open.
- Taste the sauce, and season it with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the clams in bowls, spooning some broth over them and garnishing with the scallion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
Serve with garlic crostini or over rice, linguini, or ramen noodles. Try adding some thai red chili paste in with the shallots or substituting half of the clams with mussels.