Pipis with Garlic White Wine Cream Sauce is the perfect dish for entertaining or a little easy indulgence. Serve with crusty fresh bread to mop up the delicious sauce.
I know that a few people get a little scared when it comes to cooking bivalves or molluscs. Worried about over cooking or not cooking enough. How to clean them, and what happens if some don’t open?
The more you cook mussels, clams, vongole/pipis, the more you realise how fuss free and easy they are to cook. Plus they are darn tasty too!
When buying pipis they are most likely already purged by your fishmonger. So make sure to check. If you are catching them yourself to cook, then I am pretty sure you are on top of the purging situation.
You don’t want to over cook any bivalve. Pipis are very easy to over cook due to their tiny size. Rule of thumb, once their shells have opened they are ready to serve.
Because they are so delicate I stand over my pot with a slotted spoon. Those that easily give up the fight with their shells springing open are swiftly spooned from the pot into a serving bowl.
Then those pipis that want to take their time can do so without overcooking the others. They are also removed as they open. The party poopers that decide they aren’t going to participate in my feast, by staying closed, are discarded before serving.
Once all pipis are cooked and in the serving dish, simply pour over the cream sauce and you are ready to serve.
Serve with lots of crusty fresh bread, some lemon wedges and a glass or two of Semillon.
Pipis with garlic white wine cream sauce would have to be one of my favourite dishes. You can quite easily swap out the pipis with small clams or even mussels.
This dish does take me to my happy place. As much as I love the pipis it is a tough call between eating them and mopping the sauce up with bread.
This dish is quick and easy to make with wonderful flavours. But is a dish worth relaxing with and taking your time eating with good company.
Sara xxx
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Printable Recipe
Pipis with Garlic, white Wine and Cream
Ingredients
- 1 kg live pipis (purged)
- 20 ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 eschalots (finely sliced)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 60 ml (¼ cup) dry sherry
- 125 ml (½ cup) dry white wine
- ½ cup parsley (finely chopped)
- 60 ml (¼ cup) thickened cream
Instructions
- In a large heavy based saucepan, heat olive oil and butter over a low heat.
- Add eschalots and saute for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook until eschalot is translucent and soft.
- Add sherry and wine. Bring to a simmer and reduce liquid by two thirds.
- Add pipis, stir and cover with a lid. Cook for a couple of minutes until pipis start to open.
- Remove lid and add parsley and cream.
- Stir cream and parsley into the pips and continue to cook until all pipi shells have opened.
- Remove pot from heat and with a slotted spoon place pipis in a serving bowl. Cover with foil to keep warm.
- Place saucepan with remaining liquid back on the stove and bring to a boil.
- Reduce liquid by a third and pour over pipis.
- Serve immediately with crusty bread.
Oven Temperatures
All oven temperatures are fan forced.
Measurement Notes
All measurements are Australian metric standard. All measures are level, and cups are lightly packed unless specified. 1 teaspoon = 5ml / 1 tablespoon = 20mls / 1 cup = 250ml /4 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
The recipe's nutritional information is an approximation based on an online calculator. It is meant solely for reference purposes. If you're looking for precise details, be sure to double-check with your own research.
Tanya Skroban
Absolutely delish
Sara McCleary
Glad to hear you enjoyed them.
Jyothi
Pipis look great! WOW!
Danielle
This sounds absolutely amazing! I love to cook with mussels and clams. It is so easy and they cook so quickly you're not spending hours in the kitchen.
Helen of Fuss Free Flavours
This sounds like an ideal way to serve these tasty little shell fish, and you've given some welcome hints and tips. I'm sure cooking types of shell fish like this is much easier than it sometimes looks, and worth giving a go.
Demeter
There's nothing like a dish that takes you to your happy place, right? Fantastic!
Deanna
I have a friend who would love this recipe. Mussels clams all that she absolutely adores! I forwarding her this YUM!