XO, Butter and Clams

We have been working on a number of dishes featuring XO sauce and butter. A simple dish we prepared was clams cooked in an XO butter sauce. The pot of clams was delicious, and the broth screamed for the crusty bread we had waiting in the oven. The XO butter sauce would work equally well with mussels and, in the spring, asparagus and peas. Once we had the idea and taste of XO sauce paired with butter and clams in the brain, we began working on a few more refined presentations. The first dish out of the gate used the XO butter and clams to create a sauce for creamed spinach agnolotti encased in preserved lemon pasta. A few young spinach leaves and a knob of sweet butter completed the dish. To serve and present the dish, we looked to the shell of the Geoduck, which works as a wonderful bowl and ties in nicely with the clam theme.