Vida Recetas Editorial
Machas a la parmesana is the most Chilean seafood starter there is: macha tongues, the razor clams of the South Pacific, served in their own shells with butter, white wine and parmesan, baked until the cheese bubbles and the flesh turns its signature pink. They are eaten piping hot with a few drops of lemon.
Its origin is well documented: it was created in the 1950s by Edoardo Melotti Ferrari, an Italian from Emilia-Romagna, the home of parmigiano, who founded the San Marco restaurant in Viña del Mar. Today it ranks among the best-rated clam dishes in the world on Taste Atlas.
It is a perfect starter for the Chilean national holiday table or as a weekend bite, and it serves four people. It works just as well with fresh, frozen or tinned machas and takes about 30 minutes. If you are using fresh shellfish, it pays to review how to clean razor clams before opening them, and to complete the table you can add a paila marina or a seafood chupe.
Prep
25 min
Cook
8 min
Servings
4
Calories
260 kcal
Purge the fresh machas: soak them for 20 to 30 minutes in cold salted water (1 tablespoon of salt per litre) so they release their sand, then rinse under cold running water. If frozen, thaw them in the fridge overnight and pat dry; if tinned, drain them and keep their liquid.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F) with the rack in the middle; if you want the cheese well browned, switch on the top grill at full heat as well.
Open each macha with a small knife and separate the two shells; discard half of them and wash the shells you will use very well to remove any trace of sand.
Remove the sand sac and the dark tube from each tongue, rinse it under cold water and tap it gently with the flat handle of a knife to soften it.
Arrange the clean shells in a clay dish or on a baking tray and place one macha tongue in each (two if they are very small).
On each macha add a pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper, a pea-sized piece of butter and a teaspoon of white wine.
Top with a slice of mantecoso cheese and a teaspoon of grated parmesan; for an extra creamy version, add a few drops of cream.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cheese has melted and started to brown and the tongues look deep pink; under a very hot grill 4 to 5 minutes may be enough.
Take them out as soon as they are ready: leave them any longer and the machas overcook and turn tough and rubbery.
Serve straight away in the same dish, with the lemon halves to squeeze over each macha, chopped parsley on top, crusty bread to mop up the juices and a glass of well-chilled white wine.
This recipe has a easy difficulty level, which means it's accessible for cooks of all levels.
The preparation time is 25 minutes and the cooking time is 8 minutes.
This recipe is designed for 4 servings.
Yes, many ingredients can be substituted with similar alternatives. We recommend checking the recipe variations.
Store the preparation in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Some preparations can be frozen for up to 3 months.
