Spaghetti With Clams (Alle Vongole)
THE STORY
A very simple and quick summer recipe. You can make this pasta dish with all kinds of seafood.
Use mussels, which you can even mix and match with prawns and squid. I used cockles from Cornwall.
THE RECIPE
Spaghetti with clams (alle vongole)
A very simple and quick summer recipe. You can make this with mussels, or even mix and match with prawns and squid. I used cockles from Cornwall.
Ingredients
- 500 g clams
- 200 g pasta preferably long
- 150 ml white wine
- 1-2 small red chillies Make sure you remove the seeds if you can't handle the spice
- 2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon chopped
- 4 tbsp fresh flatleaf parsley chopped
- zest from 1 lemon or lime
- juice from half a lemon i'd avoid using lime juice in this instance
- 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
Preparation
- Prepare all your ingredients before you begin cooking. This is a quick recipe so you will need everything in hand once you start.
- Clams live in the sand. Before you cook them, make sure that they are scrubbed, cleaned and thoroughly rinsed with cold water. You don't want any sand in your pasta.
- TIP: To identify rotten clams, fill a bowl or container with cold water and throw in all your clams. Throw away any clams that float.
Cooking
- Bring a pot filled with 2 litres of generously salted water to the boil. Add your pasta in and set a timer for 3 minutes before the pasta is ready.
- In a hot pan (medium to high heat), put 4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and add the garlic and chillies.
- As soon as you start smelling the garlic, add the tomatoes and the clams.
- Add the wine and cover the pan letting the clams steam. Leave covered until your clams are fully open. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
- When the clams are open take the pan off the heat.
- Open the lid and add the lemon juice along with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Throw away any clams that haven’t opened.
- Optional step: Move your clams onto a plate. We are removing the clams to make it easier for the pasta to be mixed with the sauce.
- About 3 minutes before your pasta is ready, drain it keeping 1/2 a cup of pasta water. OR you can use a pair of tongs and take straight from the pot to the pan.
- Add your pasta to the pan along with the tarragon, parsley, lemon/lime zest and a splash of the pasta water.
- Stir or toss for 1-2 minutes or until the pasta is glazed and cooked to your liking.
- Mix your clams in and you are ready to serve.
Notes
