spaghetti alle vongole
spaghetti with clams
At first glance it’s a very simple dish with just a few ingredients, but the secret to phenomenal Spaghetti alle Vongole is the preparation and cooking, as well, of course, as the best fresh ingredients you can find.
In the detail shots you'll see that I've added a spicer version of the dish - with fresh jalapeño peppers. If you like hte sound of that, simply slice a pepper final and fry it gently in EVO while the pasta is cooking.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO
(scroll down for the full method)
purge the clams (4-6 hrs)
peel the garlic
chop the parsley
cook the clams
boil and cook the pasta
combine clams, cooking liquor and pasta
spaghetti with clams
INGREDIENTS
FOR FOUR PEOPLE
1.2Kg fresh clams
1/3rd glass of white wine
2 large garlic cloves
4 tblspns EVO
2 tblspns butter
fresh parsley
black or cayenne pepper
PASTA
400g dry spaghetti
MANTECATURA (?)
moderate to heavy
METHOD
Buy your clams fresh from a good fishmonger or farmers’ market, and ask if they’re cleaned. Even if you’re told that clams are cleaned, it’s just as well to allow the time to let fresh clams purge themselves of grit or sand and other impurities. To do this, you just let them sit in salt water for 4-6 hours.
When I prepared the dish on this page, I didn’t eat a single clam that had traces of sand. To prepare the ‘clam bath’ disolve 1/3rd cup of sea or rock salt crystals in about 4.5 litres of water. Use a thermometor and mix cold and hot water so that it reaches 20 degrees C. Most species of clam become active around this temperature and are more likely to do their clammy stuff sooner rather than later. So you can eat them sooner. Change the salty water that the clams are in every hour or so and when they’ve been there for 4-6 hours they should be purged of nasty stuff.
The clams will cook more or less at the same time as the pasta, but I would probably start the pasta boiling a minute or two before the clams go in. When you’re ready to cook the clams, crush the garlic cloves and fry them gently without colouring in EVO. Add the clams and the wine, and then cover. As the clams cook they open their shells - discard any which don’t open.
When it looks like most have opened, add the parsley and butter to the clams and, assuming the pasta has reached just past al dente, add the pasta as well. Let everything combine for a minute or so, check for salt and pepper, maybe consider adding a bit more starchy water and/or butter if things are too dry. Serve with black or cayenne pepper and lemon juice or grated lemon zest for a stronger lemon hit!
NUTRITION per serving
KCAL: 807
Fat (g): 25.6
Sat Fat (g): 6.0
Carb (g): 81.7
Sug (g): 5.0
Fibre(g): 3.1
Prot (g): 63.2
Salt (g): 4.26
Nutritional information is provided as an indication only of approximate values for the recipe on this page. You should make your own calculations if you have specific dietry requirements or are required to follow a strict calorie-controlled diet.
