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1
Place the clams in a large bowl. Cover with cold salted water and leave to purge for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain and discard any clams that are already open and will not close when tapped.
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2
Set a wide, lidded pan over high heat. Pour in the olive oil and add the sliced garlic. Cook briefly until the garlic is fragrant and just beginning to colour at the edges — the oil should be shimmering and the garlic aromatic before the clams enter the pan.
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3
Add the drained clams and the white wine simultaneously. Cover the pan immediately. This is where the dish lives or dies: the clams must steam at full heat, in their own liquor combined with the wine and garlic oil, for no more than 3 to 4 minutes. Lift the lid only to check — the moment all clams have opened, remove the pan from the heat at once. Any clam that remains shut after this time is discarded.
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4
With the pan off the heat, scatter the chopped cilantro over the clams. Do not return to the heat — the cilantro must retain its freshness and bright green colour.
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5
Squeeze lemon juice over the dish at service, directly at the table. Serve immediately in the cooking vessel or in warmed shallow bowls, with crusty bread alongside to absorb every drop of the liquor.