Recipe Tips
▶︎Using Seasonal Ingredients
This dish is designed with a bright and spring-like presentation. You can also use fresh herbs instead of spinach for a refreshing twist. To keep the clams tender and flavorful, be sure to remove them from the pan as soon as they open.
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Ingredients (Serves 3–4) | Cooking Time: Approximately 1 hour
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Preparation
Making the Spinach and Rapeseed Blossom Paste
- Wash the spinach and rapeseed blossoms thoroughly, then separate the leaves from the stems.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and briefly blanch the leaves. Immediately transfer them to ice water, then drain well.
- Once cooled, blend the spinach leaves with water until smooth.
- Separately, blanch the rapeseed blossom leaves.
Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and add minced garlic. Once fragrant, add the clams and white wine. Cover with a lid and cook over high heat until the clams open. Remove them as they open.
- Strain the cooking liquid through a paper towel or fine sieve and set it aside.
- Once cooled, remove the clam meat from the shells, keeping a few in their shells for garnish.
2. In a kakugama, heat olive oil over low heat and sauté the onions until softened.
3. Add the rice and stir-fry on medium heat until all the grains turn translucent.
4. Pour in enough heated dashi to just cover the rice. Once the liquid is reduced, adding dashi of the left each time, stirring on medium heat constantly with a rubber spatul.
5. When the rice reaches your desired texture, stir in 5 tablespoons of the spinach and rapeseed blossom paste. Season with salt to taste at the end.
6. Plate the risotto and garnish with the clams, udo, and rapeseed blossoms. 
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★Advantages of Using kakugama: |
Reason for Pairing this Dish with White Wine
To complement the aromas of spinach, rapeseed blossoms, and udo, we chose a lightly sparkling Spanish wine with a mineral character and gentle acidity reminiscent of herbs. Its crisp and refreshing taste enhances the natural umami of the clams beautifully.
Credit：
Recipe created by Miyuki Shigemura (@miyu_25)
Photo by Hayato Noge (@hayato_noge)
