This clams and chorizo sausage in a cream sauce recipe can be served as a main course over pasta or as an appetizer with a side of bread for dipping. The chorizo sausage can be switched out for your favorite kind of sausage too!

Ingredients:

• 15 Clams, purged and cleaned
• 6 Spanish Chorizo, quartered
• 13 oz. Tomatoes, on the vine quartered
• 4 Garlic Cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 Small Sweet Onion, chopped
• Handful Basil ,chopped
• Handful Parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. Butter, unsalted
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup White Wine, like Chardonnay
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Begin by washing the clams five times to remove all of the sand. To clean the clams, place in a bowl and fill with cold water. Mix around and drain. Repeat four more times. Fill the bowl with water again and add three tablespoons of sea salt to remove any sand left. Mix and let sit for thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, drain the clams, mix with cold water once again and drain. Set aside.

Make sure to spend the time to properly clean out the clams. If you try to avoid this step, you will end up with sandy clams which will ruin the recipe! Also, throw out any clams that are already open prior to cooking. If they are open, this means the clams are dead and are no longer fresh.

Add a drizzle of olive oil to a deep large pan and heat over medium to high heat.

Add in the chorizo, garlic and onion and sauté for about four minutes, making sure to mix around to cook evenly and not burn.

Feel free to swap out the chorizo for your favorite type of sausage! Hot Italian sausage will add a spicy kick to the dish, while sweet sausage will make it more mild.

Lower the heat and slowly pour in the wine. Cook for another two minutes over medium heat, allowing the alcohol to burn off. Remove the chorizo slices from the pan and set aside on a dish, leaving the garlic and onion in the pan.

Add the tomatoes into the pan with the garlic and onions and cook over medium to high heat for about two minutes.

Add the chorizo back into the frying pan with the tomatoes. Cook all together over medium heat for ten minutes.

Next, add the heavy cream, butter, half of the parsley, and the basil. Season with salt and black pepper and mix together until the butter has fully melted.

Add in the clams and mix together with the sauce. Cover with the pans lid and continue to cook over medium to low heat until most of  the clams have opened up. Make sure to check every minute to not let them over cook.

Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and basil on top and a side of bread to dip in the sauce. Can also be served over pasta as well.