(Serves 4)

100 ml dry white wine
1½ kg fresh mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
500 g small fresh clams (vongole), scrubbed
250 g long-grain rice
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
Large pinch saffron threads, roughly chopped
500 ml chicken stock
1 large red pepper, cored and diced
120 g cooked frozen peas
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
24 large peeled and cooked prawns
Lemon wedges and chopped parsley to garnish

Bring the wine and 100 ml of water to the boil in a large pan, add the mussels, cover and cook, shaking the pan, until they open. Using a draining spoon and retaining the juice in the pan, transfer the mussels to a bowl.

Add the clams to the pan, cover and cook until they open, then transfer them to the bowl. Discard any of the shellfish that haven’t opened, then shell most of them but leave a few in their shells for garnish. Cover and cool, then chill until needed.

Rinse the rice in several changes of water to remove the excess starch, then drain. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion until softened. Add the garlic and fry for a minute more. Add the rice and saffron and cook, stirring for one minute. Stir in the stock and 400 ml of water, bring to the boil, then cover the pan and simmer until the rice is tender. Add the red pepper and peas and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in four tablespoons of olive oil, the vinegar and sugar and season well with salt and pepper. Cover and let it get cold.

Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the shelled mussels, clams and prawns, then pile it all on to a shallow serving dish. Garnish with the mussels and clam shells, some lemon wedges and sprinkle with the chopped spring onions and parsley.