1 fine sieve or cheesecloth for straining the clam broth
Ingredients
2.2lbclams
3clovesfresh garlic⅓ minced
2handfulsflat leaf Italian parsleyroughly chopped
¼cupwhite wine
½fresh red chili pepperor to taste
olive oilas needed
1pinchfine saltor to taste
11ozspaghetti
Salt Water Solution for Soaking Clams
4cupsfiltered water
2tbspfine salt
Instructions
Discard Unhealthy Clams
Give each clam a tap on a work surface. Those that remain closed (or close after you tap them) are likely healthy. Discard any clams with broken shells or whose shells open when tapped.
2.2 lb clams
Soak the Clams
Prepare a salt water solution for soaking the clams. To do this, add 2 tablespoons (35 g) of fine salt per 4 cups (1 liter) of water.
2 tbsp fine salt, 4 cups filtered water
Soak the healthy clams in the salted water for at least 2 hours.
Then, remove the clams from the soaking water using a slotted spoon. Don’t just strain the water over the clams as you would do when straining pasta. We don't want to mix the sand (which has dropped to the bottom of the bowl) back in with our clams.
Steam the Clams
Cover the bottom of a large pan or skillet with olive oil. Bring to medium heat.
olive oil
Add a handful of roughly chopped parsley and one whole clove of garlic. Sauté the parsley and garlic for about 30 seconds, then add the clams and stir.
2 handfuls flat leaf Italian parsley, 3 cloves fresh garlic
Add 1/2 cup (100 ml) of white wine. Then cover the pan and steam the clams over medium heat until most of the clam shells have opened. Discard any clams that remain unopened after steaming.
¼ cup white wine
Leave a handful of clams in their shells for decorating the finished pasta. Remove the meat from the rest of the clams.
Strain all of the clam broth produced to remove any residual sand. Add the strained broth to the clam meat to prevent it from drying out. Set the clams aside.
Partially Cook the Pasta
Add the spaghetti to boiling water and cook for half of the time recommended on the package for al dente pasta. Do not add salt to the water. In the meantime…
11 oz spaghetti
Make the Clam Sauce
Cover the bottom of a large pan or skillet with olive oil. Bring to medium heat.
Add the chili pepper, minced garlic and parsley to the hot oil. Sauté briefly to infuse the oil with flavor. Add all of the clams and the strained clam broth to the same pan or skillet.
½ fresh red chili pepper
Finish with Pasta
When the spaghetti is halfway cooked, transfer it immediately to the skillet with the clams—saving the hot pasta water!
Add 2 ladles of hot pasta water and give it a stir. Finish cooking the pasta in the clam sauce—uncovered—over medium heat. Cook the pasta until it is al dente.
The sauce will thicken naturally due to the starch released by the spaghetti as it cooks. When the pasta is almost ready, add the clams in the shell to the pan as well to warm them up! Salt to taste (if needed).
1 pinch fine salt
Top the finished pasta with minced fresh parsley and serve!
Video
Notes
Soak the Clams!Clams tend to contain a lot of sand. For this reason, they are usually soaked in a salt water solution before cooking with them. During the soak, the clams will exchange the sandy water in their shells for the fresh salty water you provide them. This will drastically minimize the amount of sand that is present in the clams and the clam broth the clams produce.Strain the Clam BrothTo be sure no sand ruins your lovely clam sauce, strain the clam broth before adding it to the pasta sauce.Don't Salt the Pasta Water!Unlike most Italian pasta recipes, do not salt the pasta water for this dish. Why? The clam broth you produce by steaming the clams will be naturally salty. Instead, check for salt at the end and only add a pinch if needed.