Recipe courtesy of
Amy Stevenson
for
Food Network Kitchen
Recipe courtesy of
Amy Stevenson
for
Food Network Kitchen
Watch how to make this recipe.
Best Spaghetti with Clams
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- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 1 hr (includes soaking time)
- Active: 30 min
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 674
- Total Fat
- 19 g
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 73 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Protein
- 45 g
- Cholesterol
- 78 mg
- Sodium
- 1418 mg
This is our best version of classic spaghetti with clams, built on simple technique and the right small-but-mighty ingredients. Manila clams are ideal because their small size makes them especially tender, though cockles or the tiniest littlenecks you can find work well, too. We chop half of the clams so their flavor fully seasons the sauce, while the rest stay whole for that unmistakable look of a proper clam pasta. A spoonful or two of fine breadcrumbs gives the sauce body and a handful of coarser toasted crumbs delivers a welcome crunchy finish. And timing matters: the sauce can happily wait for the pasta—but never the other way around.
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 1 hr (includes soaking time)
- Active: 30 min
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 674
- Total Fat
- 19 g
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 73 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Protein
- 45 g
- Cholesterol
- 78 mg
- Sodium
- 1418 mg
Ingredients
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Directions
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and salt liberally (the water should taste salty, like the sea). Rinse the clams well to remove any exterior dirt and add to the water. Let soak 20 to 30 minutes. Lift the clams from the soaking water and rinse again. (If there is a lot of grit in the bottom of the bowl, you can repeat this purging process one more time, though most clams will be clean from one round of purging.)
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
- Break the bread into small pieces and put in a mini food processor. Pulse to make slightly coarse crumbs (NOT as fine as sand).
- Heat a small skillet over low heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the crumbs and toss with a wooden spoon to coat in the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the crumbs are crisp and golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Put the crumbs in a strainer with medium holes and shake the crumbs over a bowl. A few teaspoons of fine crumbs will shake through. Set these aside and put the remaining coarse crumbs in a small bowl.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Add the garlic and shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and increase the heat so everything is sizzling. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the clams and return the liquid to a boil, then adjust the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the clams just open, 3 to 4 minutes. Use a spider to remove the clams to a bowl, leaving the cooking liquid behind in the pot on very low heat. Remove the meat from about half of the clams and discard those shells. Coarsely chop the clam meat and return to the bowl with the clams still in their shells.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, bring the liquid in the Dutch oven to a simmer, add 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and cook at a brisk simmer until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. When the pasta is ready, remove with tongs to the simmering sauce. Add back the whole clams and clam meat, along with any juices left in the bowl. Cook, tossing to coat the pasta in the sauce, until the clams are reheated, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley and butter and bring the sauce to a vigorous boil to emulsify it. If the sauce is still too watery at this point, sprinkle with a few teaspoons of the reserved fine crumbs and boil for a few seconds to thicken the sauce. (If the pasta has absorbed all of the sauce, add 1/4 cup or so of the pasta cooking water.) Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with more red pepper flakes if desired.
- Divide the pasta and clams among serving bowls. Sprinkle each with some of the coarse crumbs and serve immediately.
