Spaghetti alle vongole

spaghetti-vongole

One of the things I miss the most in this land locked country is fresh fish. And by fresh I do not mean fillets that your fishmonger extracts from a well styled iced window. No, by fresh I mean fish that was swimming the previous evening in the Adriatic sea, and is now on my plate.

I was spoiled by my Dad’s cooking, so I am not so skilled in cooking fish or shellfish. I do like to try out new recipes, so I gave this very classic one a shot. I got the recipe from here, and I used it as is, apart from omitting clam juice which I could not find.

Before cooking, I checked all the clams; those that were not closed—or that did not close after squeezing them—I discarded. Also, after cooking, I discarded all the ones that did not open.

Spaghetti alle vongole

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 small dried red chile pepper, crushed, or a pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 3 pounds small hard shell clams
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • Salt
  • 1 pound spaghetti or linguine
  • 1 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the garlic and chile pepper in the olive oil until the garlic is golden brown, about 1 minute.
  2. Add the clams and wine. Cover and simmer over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally until all the clams open.
  3. While the clams are simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until al dente.
  4. Drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl. Add the clam sauce and parsley and toss well. Serve immediately.

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