Straight from the tradition of Campania, spaghetti with clams is definitely one of the most important dishes of Italian cuisine and one of the most appreciated of the fish starters.
A very simple recipe with a wonderful taste of the sea, which hides a few small secrets for a perfect result. Delicious clams, a hint of parsley and a delicious cream made naturally from pasta starch make spaghetti with clams a real delight. Whether it’s a dinner with friends, a Sunday meal or the perfect dish for Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve dinner, it’s a perfect dish for any occasion.
material
- Spaghetti 320 g
- Clams 1 kg
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 bunch of parsley
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Black pepper to taste
- Fine salt to taste
- Coarse salt for clams, to taste
preparation
To prepare spaghetti with clams, start by cleaning them. Make sure there are no broken or empty shells, they will be discarded. Then beat the clams in the basin or perhaps on a cutting board. This operation is important to check that there is no sand inside: healthy bivalves will be closed, those full of sand, on the contrary, will open. Then place the clams in a bowl, place in a colander and rinse. Place a colander in a bowl and add a generous amount of coarse salt. Let the clams soak for 2 to 3 hours.
After this time, the clams will clear all the remaining sand. Heat a little oil in a frying pan. Then add a clove of garlic and when it’s cooked, drain the clams well, rinse and throw them into the hot pan. Cover and cook on high heat for few minutes.
The clams will open with the heat, so shake the pan occasionally until they open completely. As soon as they all open, immediately turn off the heat, otherwise the clams will be overcooked. Drain the bivalves and collect the juice and remember to discard the garlic. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water, discarding water halfway through cooking.
Then pour the sauce into a saucepan, add the spaghetti and continue cooking using a little cooking water. This is how you cook pasta. At the end of cooking, add clams and chopped parsley. Prepare a final “sfiammata” and spaghetti with clams: serve immediately!
storage
The spaghetti is recommended to be eaten with the clams as soon as they are ready, but if you prefer, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a day. If you are not going to eat the clams right away, you can store them in a large bowl filled with cold water or wrapped in a damp cloth in the refrigerator.
advice
For spaghetti with clams recipe, it is recommended to use great clams to enjoy the good taste and freshness of the product! If you want to add a little color, add some cherry tomatoes to the sauce with the clams. Instead of chili, you can try roasting fresh chilies! Finally, you can try Spaghetti n.5 or Spaghettini instead of Spaghetti n.3!
Sister hunger!
Anna Grasso