Why Lemon-Garlic Clams with Brown Rice Risotto Is the Star of My Holiday Menu

In our big Italian American family, pasta is essentially its own food group. But we’re also a family where type 2 diabetes is prevalent, which makes enjoying the carb-loaded cornerstone a bit more problematic, especially when trying to come up with a holiday menu. 

Every Christmas Eve, my family gathers for the Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian American tradition where an elaborate coursed meal is served, consisting of seven different types of fish. 

(Christmas Eve is a fast day for Roman Catholics, so meat is not allowed … seven different fishes though? Totally cool.) For us, the menu usually looks like shrimp cocktail, clams casino, baccala (salt cod) salad, salmon with a balsamic-vinegar reduction, air-fryer scallops, cod and, of course, some kind of garlicky pasta with mussels or clams. 

While much of the meal contains many diabetes-friendly foods for my Grandma Trisha, Aunt Dianne and the rest of us who are at a higher risk for diabetes, the pasta is carb-heavy, and typically made with a refined grain. Whole grains are recommended for people with diabetes, so I set out in search of an alternative—one that would feel authentic alongside our classic red sauce dishes.

When I came across Ina Garten’s foolproof, zero-stirring-required risotto recipe, it struck me: Could I do a risotto with brown rice in a similar fashion? And if I steamed clams like I would for linguine with clams, wouldn’t that make for a pretty tasty topping for the risotto? After a few tests, dear reader, it turns out it definitely would. 

Rather than using traditional arborio rice, I opted for a short-grain brown rice instead. When making risotto, you need to use a short-grain rice, as the higher starch content gives risotto its signature creamy texture without needing to add any actual milk or cream. Brown arborio rice would work well too, but it’s not as easy to find in most grocery stores. 

I also used littleneck clams for this recipe, which are the smallest variety of the quahog clams commonly found along the East Coast. Bigger clams, like cherrystones, could be used as well, but you likely will need to cook them in batches. When you get home with your clams, be sure to give them a good rinse in the sink, and discard any that have opened (or aren’t tightly shut). 

While the risotto was cooking in the oven, my hands were free to clean the clams, chop parsley, thinly slice garlic and zest a lemon—pretty minimal prep with this recipe! When I’m planning meals for the holidays, meals with inactive time are my favorite—they’re ideal for entertaining, as they give me time to pour folks another glass of wine (or a mocktail!) and actually spend time with my family. 

Speaking of wine, for this recipe, I went with an unoaked chardonnay, though any dry white wine with some citrusy notes, like a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio, could work too. When choosing wines to cook with, I usually go with a bottle that’s budget-friendly, but that I’d still like to drink. After all, you’re only using a half-cup here, and if there’s one thing my Grandma Trisha taught me, it’s that wasting food is a sin—wine included.

About 15 minutes before the risotto finished up in the oven, I got to making the clams. While many recipes for clam sauce include an anchovy or two, I opted to use just ⅛ teaspoon of fish sauce instead. I’m much more likely to have fish sauce on hand than anchovies, and this easy swap has 53 milligrams of sodium compared to the 147 milligrams found in one anchovy. While sodium doesn’t impact blood glucose levels, it can raise your blood pressure. People with diabetes are more likely to also have high blood pressure, putting them at a higher risk for heart disease.

Once the garlic was browned and the fish sauce was added, I added the wine to the pan, then let it reduce by about half. After that, I added in my clams, closed the lid and let the steam from the cooking liquid do its thing. You’ll know the clams are done when they open up in the pan. If you have a few that haven’t opened, remove the open ones and tent them with foil, then give the remaining clams a minute or two more. If they still haven’t opened by that point, discard them. The clams will let off their own juices as they cook, giving you a perfect broth to finish off the risotto with, too. 

While there may be no twirlable noodles in this dish, the risotto was just as delicious with brown rice, and the clams are garlicky and briny, with a pop of heat from the red pepper and a bit of acidity from the lemon, a perfect contrast to the creamy risotto. I sent around photos of my tests to my family, who all agreed: we’ll be enjoying this dish as a delicious substitute for our usual pasta this year.