Surfclam carpaccio with a vanilla vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 24 Stimpson’s surfclams
• 90 g (¾ cup) extra-thin green beans
• 30 g (1 oz.) salmon roe
• Fleur de sel and pepper to taste
• For the vanilla vinaigrette:
• 125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 vanilla bean
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

For the vanilla vinaigrette

• Mix half the olive oil, lemon juice and shallot. Salt and pepper.
• Slice the vanilla bean in half, scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife and add them to the vinaigrette. Set aside.

For the carpaccio

• Slice the rest of the vanilla bean into long strips to be used later for garnish.
• With the remaining olive oil, brush the bottom of each plate. Cut the surflclams into very thin slices and lay them across the bottom of the plates. Keep chilled.
• Blanch the green beans in salted boiling water, removing them while still crisp. Shock them under cold water and cut them on a bias. Set aside.
• To serve, sprinkle each plate with fleur de sel and two twists of the pepper mill.
• Put the plates in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 1 minute, just long enough to warm the surfclams and not to cook them.
• Top with green beans and salmon roe. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Garnish with the vanilla beans.