De Wetshof “The Site” Chardonnay and white sand mussel chowder

Preparation Time: 60 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 4

White sand mussel chowder paired with Danie De Wet's fabulous 2009 "The Site" Single Vineyard Chardonnay

A recent holiday in Knysna found me on the beach at Brenton-on-Sea in search of white sand mussels. Commonly used for bait by fishermen all the way along our coastline, I’ve often wondered what sort of chowder they would make.

I’d taken a bottle of Danie De Wets’ 2009 “The Site” Chardonnay on holiday with me (along with a whole bunch of other wines, naturally!) and I had this plan to pair a white sand mussel chowder, made with crème fraiche, with this single vineyard Chardonnay. More about the wine and how it paired with the chowder later on.

As happy as a clam in a pot of chowder!

Preparation Time: 60 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 4-6

Yummy New England Clam Chowder

“It’s not easy to get hold of big clams,” said Claudio. I was chatting to Claudio Paioni, co-owner of Seafood on Sail, during a recent visit in search of some good fresh fish. In the course of conversation, Claudio noted that he had acquired a stock of good quality clams, in shells and they were quite large. “These come from Moçambique, and they’re really nice,” said Claudio.

“Well, now you mention it, I was planning to do a clam chowder,” I said hopefully. “Take a kilo and see what you can do with them,” said Claudio thrusting a package into my outstretched hand. I left with a kilogram of frozen clams and about the same weight in fresh Gurnard fillets (more about them in the near future) clutched to my chest, humbled as always by Claudio’s generosity.