Chickpea Flour Fried Clams with Garlic Aioli

Scrub the clams under cold running water, tapping any open ones firmly to encourage them to close. Discard any that stay open after tapping.

Soak the scrubbed clams in lightly salted cold water for 20 minutes to purge any remaining grit. Lift them out, rinse well, and drain.

Shuck each clam and pull away the dark digestive vein. Pat the clam meat completely dry with kitchen paper and set aside.

Mince the garlic cloves as finely as possible. Add a small pinch of salt and drag the flat of your knife through it to form a paste.

In a bowl, combine the garlic paste with the mayonnaise and lemon juice. Whisk to blend.

Whisk in the olive oil in a very thin, steady stream until the aioli is glossy and emulsified. Taste and add more lemon or a pinch of salt if needed. Set aside.

Set up your coating station: place the flour in one shallow dish, beat the egg in a second dish, and scatter the breadcrumbs in a third.

Dredge each clam first in flour, shaking off the excess, then dip through the beaten egg, and finally press firmly into the breadcrumbs to coat all sides evenly.

Pour sunflower oil into a wide, heavy-based frying pan and place over medium-high heat. Clip a digital thermometer to the pan edge and heat to 180°C.

Working in three batches, lay the coated clams in the hot oil without crowding. Fry 2-3 minutes, turning once, until the coating is deep golden and crisp. Use the thermometer to confirm the internal temperature of a clam reads 63°C. Remove to a wire rack.

Return the oil to 180°C between each batch before adding more clams.

Arrange the fried clams on a warm platter. Drizzle a few spoonfuls of the garlic aioli over and scatter the fresh parsley. Serve the remaining aioli in a small bowl on the side for dipping.