Spaghetti with Clams. Italian recipe.

How to make spaghetti with clams or spaghetti with vongole.

A pasta recipe that is successful worldwide. A classic of Neapolitan cuisine with an open secret, the quality of its ingredients.

I advise you to prepare them with fresh clams. A truly simple and fast dish.

I present you some delicious seafood-style spaghetti , although with a Galician touch because in addition to clams I have included mussels. In Italy they are known as “ Vermicelli con le vongole ” and it is a very traditional pasta dish from Neapolitan cuisine.

There this recipe can be prepared with or without tomato. I have tried both options and the tomato dish wins by a thrashing since if you choose the option without, you would be taking some ” Spaghetti alle vongole in bianco “.

On the blog you can find the occasional Italian pasta recipe. You have from the traditional spaghetti carbonara , its famous spaghetti bolognese or these spaghetti with garlic prawns very similar to this recipe.

Anyway, in either way they are very rich, and if you also include some good Galician mussels as I have done today or some fish that you like, you will find a plate full of ingredients with sea flavors.

In addition to preparing them with a pasta al dente, we have chosen a long Garofalo pasta, the Spaguetti à Figliata, which are made with durum wheat semolina with a rough surface that is seasoned with the sauce, freshly ground black pepper or with pepperoni and salt al taste … they are simply delicious. Who are encouraged?

Preparation of tomato sauce

1. We open the can of whole peeled tomatoes and remove the excess liquid (the tomato water) since in this case we will only use the pulp.
2. It can be kept in a pot for another future recipe with tomato water. Or put this water in a saucepan and reduce for 15 minutes to have a concentrated tomato paste. For example for the base of a homemade pizza .
3. Put the extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan and while it is heating, peel the garlic and fillet finely.
4. Add to the casserole the sliced ​​garlic and some cayenne (if you like the spicy touch in the recipe). We brown the ingredients and when they begin to have color we introduce the tomatoes. We cut them in half with the help of a wooden spoon.
5. Let it cook until they reduce to less than half their size, about 30 minutes over medium heat.
6. If you are in a hurry you can do it in 15 minutes over high heat, stirring continuously so that the tomato does not stick to the casserole.
7. Add a teaspoon of sugar to reduce acidity, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. We remove everything well by bringing together flavors.
9. We test and rectify with salt, although it is most likely not necessary. We remove a few minutes and remove from the fire.
10. We reserve to combine with the rest of the ingredients.

Preparation of the clams

1. It is essential to remove the sand that clams usually bring so that they do not spoil the recipe. With mussels it does not usually happen because they come directly from the treatment plant and are not in contact with the sand.
2. It is convenient to have the clams about three hours before cooking them in water in a saucepan or large plastic container. We must add water, a good handful of coarse salt and change the water three or four times. The clams drink and usually drop a lot of sand, do not panic because it is a sign that the clam is of good quality.
3. We just have to open them steamed with a little garlic and a touch of chilli. Some of them do not usually open and we will have to throw them away, also those that are broken.
4. We start with the clams. To steam them, we wash the clams very well in cold water and remove all the impurities.
5. We cut the garlic very fine and sauté in a low casserole without it getting to brown.
6. We add some cayennes previously pounded with the fingers and the clams.
7. We stir over high heat for a few seconds. We introduce the white wine and let it boil.
8. We leave them cooking covered 3 minutillos over high heat and, as soon as they are all open, we reserve them with the mussels that we are preparing at the same time.

Preparation of the mussels

1. To prepare the mussels, the first thing is to wash them very well in cold water. This way we remove all the impurities that come in the bag.
2. We put a splash of virgin olive oil in the casserole and then the mussels.
3. Stir them well with a wooden spoon for half a minute and add half a glass of white wine.
4. We leave it cooking for 2 minutes at a high temperature and as soon as they are all open we remove them with a slotted spoon. Let cool and reserve on a plate.
5. We will not throw the cooking water, strain it and leave it in a small saucepan with the clam water, we reserve this broth for the pasta.
6. We remove the mussels when they are warm helped by a knife. We drag all the mussel until the interior is clean. We reserve.

Preparation of spaghetti

1. Once we have the tomato sauce, the clams and the mussels already prepared we start with the pasta. The sauce should always wait for spaghetti and not the other way around.
2. We heat a liter of water in a saucepan (in this case with the seafood broth that we have reserved for the clams and mussels) for every 100 g of pasta, it is the recommended measure per person. Except if we are passionate about spaghetti at home.
3. These proportions, which are normally indicated on the packaging, help the paste not stick together.
4. Always try to use a large casserole, the largest in your kitchen. If you cook pasta many times it will be very useful to buy a casserole for those occasions, a good investment.
5. When it begins to boil in spurts we add 1 generous handful of salt, about 2 level tablespoons for every 500 grams of pasta.
6. Then we add the pasta, always all together. Stir with a wooden spoon so that the spaghetti does not stick and are loose.
7. On the back of the pasta pack comes the cook time. We must be guided by these instructions because for each type it is different, in this case it is 9 minutes.
8. In this way we will achieve what is called pasta “al dente” or at the right point. In other words, do not miss it, although a great tip is to try it almost at the end. Just in case they fool us on the packaging.
9. Once the time has elapsed, drain the pasta immediately and combine it with the sauce.

Presentation of the dish. Final presentation of spaghetti with clams

1. Add the freshly made spaghetti to the tomato sauce with the mussels.
2. Mix everything with a spoon so that the flavors come together. We introduce the clams to the pasta and stir. A new dish of yummy is ready.
3. Optionally we decorate each dish with a little chopped parsley or coriander and serve them warm.
4. I like it that way, but in Italy they usually add some Parmesan to this dish. Enjoy it!

Be sure to enjoy all the recipes for fish and seafood that we have on the blog.