Tellines de Camargue

Tellines (Donax trunculus) are tiny wedge-shaped clams — rarely larger than 3cm — harvested from the sandy beaches of the Camargue and the Languedoc coast, and they are one of the most characterful and least known shellfish in French cuisine. These small, delicate bivalves live just beneath the surface of the wet sand at the waterline, and they are harvested by hand using a tellinier — a specialized wide-tined rake that is dragged through the sand as the harvester wades in knee-deep water. The daily catch is limited by regulation (10kg per harvester per day), making tellines a scarce, artisanal, and fiercely local product. The cooking is elemental and admits no elaboration: heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat, add 500g well-washed tellines, 3 cloves of garlic (finely minced), a generous handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley, a splash of white wine, and cover. Shake the pan vigorously for 2-3 minutes until the shells open. Season with pepper (no salt — the clams are briny enough). Serve immediately in the pan with crusty bread to soak up the garlicky, briny, parsley-flecked juices. The telline's flavor is intensely marine — more concentrated and sweeter than larger clams, with a minerality that reflects the Camargue's saline-influenced sands. They are eaten as a first course on every restaurant terrace along the Camargue coast, always with Picpoul de Pinet. The annual Fête de la Telline in Palavas-les-Flots celebrates the harvest. Tellines are also used in pasta (linguine alle telline, reflecting the Italian influence in Sète and the Languedoc coast) and in soups.

• Italian vongole (clams with pasta)
• Portuguese amêijoas à Bulhão Pato (garlic clams)
• Spanish almejas al ajillo (garlic clams)
• Japanese asari (short-neck clams)