Grilled razor clams with chilli, fennel and thyme

Wash the clams well under cold running water to remove any sand

Tie the thyme sprigs together with string and set aside. Trim the celery, fennel and leek and peel the onion, reserving all the trimmings and peelings. Evenly dice the vegetables into 1cm dice

Finely chop the chilli, reserving the seeds. Peel and finely chop the garlic, and add with the chilli to the diced vegetables

In a bowl, grate the Parmesan and mix with the breadcrumbs

Place the reserved vegetable trimmings and the chilli seeds into a large saucepan with the thyme and half of the butter. Place the pan over a high heat and cook the vegetables until softened, approximately 2 minute. Add the wine and continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by half

Then, add the clams and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Continue to cook over a high heat for 4 minutes or until the clams have fully opened, then tip the contents of the pan into a colander set over a bowl and let the liquid strain through

To remove the clams from their shells, begin by removing the foot part and then discard the stomach (you will recognize this as the solid mass of mussel as opposed to the disjointed belly that is half attached). Wash the shells for serving the clams. Slice the clams about the same size as the diced vegetables

Preheat the grill on a medium setting

Add the diced vegetable mix to a saucepan with the remaining butter and a small sprinkling of sea salt. Allow the vegetables to sweat down over a medium heat until softened, then add the cooking liquid from the clams and boil rapidly until reduced by half. Then, add the clams and remove the pan from the heat

Spoon the clams and vegetables back into the shells. Sprinkle over the Parmesan crumb mix and grill until a light golden brown colour. Serve immediately