Spaghetti with clams

It is one of those dishes that never disappoints, to be prepared in any season, not complicated to make and able to satisfy every palate, even that of children, who are often reluctant to eat fish. The recipe for spaghetti with clams does not require any particular skill, just knowing how to dose the ingredients is enough to make a successful dish.

You can recognise this clam at a glance: first of all, it is larger than a classic clam, and the outside is coloured from white to grey-yellow with dark streaks and spots. In addition, the siphons of the clams are well separated and not united at the base as in the classic clams.

Ingredients for Spaghetti with clams

  • 400g of spaghetti from Gragnano (for 4 people)
  • 1kg of clams (preferably real clams)
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Parsley to taste
  • Half a glass of white wine
  • Chilli cream to taste
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • Salt to taste

How to make Spaghetti with clams

Clean the outside of the clams and purge them to remove impurities and grit. To do this you can soak the clams in salted water for a couple of hours (1 tablespoon of salt per litre of water), perhaps placing them in a colander.

Place the garlic cloves in a frying pan and fry in a little extra virgin olive oil. Add the finely chopped parsley and leave to gain flavour over a moderate flame. While cooking, add a teaspoon of our excellent chilli cream and remove the garlic cloves.

Rinse the clams under cold running water, drain and return them to the pan with the sauce. Cook with the lid on for 2-3 minutes, then, before they hatch completely, pour in half a glass of white wine and let them open completely.

Meanwhile, prepare the water for cooking the spaghetti. Drain the pasta very al dente without throwing away the cooking water. Put the spaghetti back in the pan with the clams and add one or two ladles of the pasta cooking water, mix everything together and cook without the lid for a few minutes until cooked through.

Serve the spaghetti with clams sprinkled with chopped parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.