Navajas Gratinadas Gallegas

Navajas gratinadas are Galician, from the rías where razor clams live in clean sand and come to the table in their own long shells. What makes them this dish, and not a neighbour's baked clam, is the light hand: the navaja is opened a la plancha, spooned with a small cover of jamón, mild Galician cheese, and crumbs, then browned before the meat has time to toughen.

The method that decides it is the heat. Razor clams are tender for a short minute and stubborn after that, so I open them on a very hot pan, save the briny liquor, and let the broiler do only the browning. The topping should sit like a thin crust, damp with clam juice and olive oil, not like a blanket. You want crisp crumbs, a little jamón salt, and the sweet sea taste still first.

Far from Galicia, buy live Atlantic razor clams if you can. If not, use zamburiñas or small scallops on the half shell; they are sweeter and less briny, so use a lighter hand with the cheese and give them a minute less under the grill. No canned clam here; it gives you salt and water, not navajas. In the Margin beside this one I wrote, do not bury the clam. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.