Chocolate clams are very common in Baja California, and this is a great way to have them. You could probably fake it with pre-made salsa and refried beans, but you would miss a lot of the fresh flavor and probably up the sodium considerably. Lard has a bad rap in the US, but it actually has 20% less saturated fat than butter, more mono-saturated fats and contains oleic acid which is touted for its health benefits in olive oil.
