Vietnamese Clam Pizza Recipe

Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

for the sweet chili sauce:
¾ cup|200 grams white vinegar
1 cup|200 grams granulated sugar
10 cloves|50 grams garlic
½ cup|50 grams pickled red chili
⅓ cup|100 grams fish sauce

for the pork fat lardons:
4 ounces|250 grams pork fat back, diced into ½-inch cubes

for the scallion oil:
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
rendered pork fat
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

for the pizza:
8 pieces rice paper, 12-inch diameter
24 littleneck clams, cooked and shucked
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
sweet chili sauce
pork fat lardons
Vietnamese coriander
micro chives
crushed peanuts

1. Combine vinegar, sugar, garlic, pickled red chili, and 1 cup|280 ml water. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add fish sauce to taste. Using an immersion blender, blend until desired consistency.
2. Add pork fatback to a large skillet and add water until it is ¼ of the way covered. Heat the pan over medium-high. Water will gradually evaporate and fat will start to render. Cook until pork fatback starts to shrink and take on color. Strain the lardons and reserve the pork fat for scallion oil.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the pork fat and heat until it just barely starts to smoke. Add scallions to the pan. The scallions will sizzle and residual water will steam off. Remove from heat and season with fish sauce and sugar to taste.
4. Heat the grill to 300°F. Take 2 pieces of rice paper. Wet a side of the rice paper and place on the grill wet side up. Immediately place another piece of rice paper on top on the grill. The 2 pieces of rice paper should fuse together.
5. Spread a tablespoon of scallion oil on the rice paper. Using the back of a spoon spread the scallion oil evenly. At this point the rice paper will start to stiffen and change from clear to cloudy.
6. Once completely stiff, drizzle an egg slowly over the rice paper. Be careful not to add too much to the point that it runs off the rice paper. It should be a light layer of egg. Rotate the rice paper on the grill until it is evenly cooked and the egg has set, about 2 minutes. Once egg is set, place 6 pieces of littleneck clams on the rice paper.
7. Remove from heat and drizzle with sweet chili sauce. Add crushed peanuts, Vietnamese coriander, lardons, and micro chives to taste.

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