Machas a la parmesana — Chilean surf clams baked in the shell with white wine, butter and parmesan
Machas a la parmesana: Chilean surf clams in the half shell with white wine, butter and parmesan, baked for 5-6 minutes. A classic Chilean starter.
Recipe in testing. We published it before cooking it in our kitchen. Once we cook it, we will adjust whatever it needs and remove this note.
What machas a la parmesana are and where the recipe comes from
The macha (Mesodesma donacium) is a surf clam with an elongated shell that lives buried in the sandy beaches of Chile, from Arica y Parinacota down to Los Lagos. This dish uses only its tongue, the fleshy foot it burrows with, which is laid in a half shell with white wine, butter and parmesan and gratinated for a few minutes, until the cheese melts and the clam turns a deep pink. It is served hot with lemon, as a starter or to share with bread. The most widely told story places its origin in Viña del Mar in the 1950s, at the hands of Italian immigrants. Because harvesting is banned nationwide except in artisanal fishers' management areas, almost all legal machas now come from the Coquimbo Region.
Instructions
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Check and wash the machas
If they are fresh, make sure they are alive: the shells should be closed or close when tapped, with clear liquid between the halves and a smell of the sea. Discard any that are broken or stay open, and choose clams of similar size so they all cook at the same pace. Rinse them under cold running water, rubbing the shells, and keep them in the fridge at 5 °C or below until you open them, ideally on the day you buy them. If you use frozen machas, thaw them overnight in the fridge, rinse them and pat them dry with paper towels: the water they release dilutes the wine and butter and keeps the cheese from browning.
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Open the machas and cut out the tongues
Heat the oven to 230 °C, or turn the broiler to its highest setting, with the rack in the top position. Hold each clam in a cloth, slip the tip of a small knife between the shells from one side and run it along one of them to cut the muscles that keep it closed; it opens with little effort. Free the meat and cut out the tongue, the long fleshy part, which is the part you eat. Keep the deeper half of each shell and scrub it under running water, with a brush or your fingers, until not a single grain of sand remains: any leftover sand crunches between your teeth and ruins the dish.
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Clean and flatten the tongues
With the back of a knife, scrape off the innards still attached to each tongue, the soft part where sand tends to hide. Rinse the tongues one at a time in a bowl of cold water, changing the water until no sand settles at the bottom, and pat them dry with paper towels. Then tap them gently with the flat of the knife or a spatula, just enough to spread them out: that way they cook evenly in the few minutes in the oven and stay tender. Run a finger over each tongue before moving on: you should not feel a single grain.
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Fill each shell with wine, butter and cheese
Arrange the shells on a baking tray or in a clay dish, which holds the heat and can go straight to the table; if they wobble, nestle them in crumpled foil so they do not tip over and lose their juices. Lay one tongue flat in each shell (two if they are very small) and add 1 teaspoon of white wine, a pinch of pepper and, if you like, a tiny pinch of salt. Top with a piece of butter and then a heaped teaspoon of parmesan that covers the clam completely: the cheese acts as a lid, shields it from the direct heat and lets it cook in the steam from the wine and butter.
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Bake in a very hot oven
Put the tray on the top rack and bake for 5 to 6 minutes; under the broiler, start checking at minute 3. They are ready when the cheese has melted and has golden spots, the juices bubble at the edge of the shell and the tongue has turned a deep pink, opaque all the way through with no translucent parts. Take them out at that point: the macha is a thin muscle, and a couple of extra minutes make it contract and turn tough and rubbery. If the cheese browns before the clam changes color, move the tray down one level to finish cooking.
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Serve right away with lemon
Serve 8 machas per person, in the same dish or on warm plates, with the lemon wedges so everyone can add a few drops, and scatter chopped parsley over them if using. Take them to the table at once: as they cool, the cheese turns rubbery and the butter sets. Toasted bread or marraqueta is good for mopping up the juices left in the shells, and a dry white wine, the same one used in the recipe, goes well with them.
Nutrition information
| Calories | 290 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 17 g |
| Carbs | 5 g |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 19 g |
| Trans fat | 1 g |
Values per serving (1 of 4).
Frequently asked questions
Can I make them with frozen machas?
Yes. Machas are also sold frozen, sometimes already out of the shell, and they work if thawed slowly: leave them in the fridge overnight, rinse them in case there is sand and pat them very dry with paper towels, because the water they release keeps the cheese from browning. If they come without shells, put two or three in each small clay ramekin or in a small baking dish. The oven time is the same: take them out when the cheese has melted and the clam has turned pink.
How many machas should I allow per person?
As a starter, about 8 per person, which is what this recipe allows; Chilean recipes usually call for 15 to 20 machas for two people. If the clams are large or a hearty main course follows, 6 are enough; if they are small, put two tongues in each shell. As a main course, allow a dozen or more per person and serve them with bread and a salad.
Do machas a la parmesana have cream, and which cheese is used?
The classic version has no cream: just white wine, butter, grated parmesan, pepper and lemon at the table. The cheese is parmesan, ideally grated just before using, because it melts evenly and forms a golden crust; packaged grated cheese usually contains anti-caking agents and browns less well. There are versions with a teaspoon of cream under the cheese, with sparkling wine instead of still wine, or with the butter mixed with garlic and parsley; they are valid, although they mask the flavor of the clam a little.
Why do machas turn tough, and how do I prevent it?
It is almost always too long in the oven: the macha tongue is a thin muscle that contracts and toughens when it cooks longer than needed. Use a very hot oven (230 °C) so the cheese melts in 5 to 6 minutes, choose clams of similar size so they are ready together, and tap the tongues lightly before filling the shells so they lie flat and cook evenly. Take them out as soon as they turn pink and the cheese melts, and do not leave them waiting in the switched-off oven.
How do I buy safe, legally sourced machas in Chile?
Buy shellfish only from established, authorized sellers: Chile's Ministry of Health and Public Health Institute warn that red tide toxins are not removed by cooking, lemon or vinegar, so a controlled origin is the only protection. Macha harvesting is also banned nationwide, except in artisanal fishers' management areas and occasional research openings; under Sernapesca rules, fresh machas are sold in their mesh bag with a QR-code label that shows their origin, and the legal minimum size is 6 cm. A fishmonger with Sernapesca's Sello Azul (Blue Seal) is a good sign. Bear in mind, too, that Chile's Ministry of Health advises against eating raw or undercooked shellfish and recommends boiling shellfish for at least 5 minutes to prevent Vibrio parahaemolyticus; in this dish the macha cooks for less time, so respect the doneness cue (pink and opaque all the way through) and keep it refrigerated until you assemble the shells. If you feel nausea, vomiting or dizziness after eating shellfish, go to a health center right away.
Can I prepare them ahead?
You can get the slow part done early: the cleaned tongues and the scrubbed shells keep separately, covered in the fridge, for a few hours. Filling the shells takes 5 minutes and is best done just before baking, so the wine does not soak the cheese. What does not work is baking them ahead: reheated, the clam toughens and the cheese turns rubbery. If any are left over, refrigerate them within 2 hours and eat them the next day.
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