RomanItalian
Spaghetti with Clams
by Federico Fusca Chef · 332K subscribers on YouTube
Spaghetti alle Vongole is not just a recipe... it's the scent of the sea entering your kitchen. Garlic sizzling in good oil, chili that tingles, fresh clams slowly opening and releasing all their briny water. The spaghetti is then risottata directly in their juice: simple, powerful, irresistible. No cream, no oddities. Only a few ingredients, but made well: clams, garlic, chili, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, spaghetti.
- Difficulty
- medium
Ingredients
11 items- 1/2 kgVeraci ClamsFresh clams, purged and rinsed
- 1 lWaterFor purging the clams (brine)
- 35 gCoarse SaltFor the purging brine
- 3 pcsGarlicCloves, lightly crushed
- Chili PepperFresh or dried chili pepper, to taste
- ParsleyFresh parsley, chopped
- Extra Virgin Olive OilExtra virgin olive oil, for cooking and finishing
- Dry White WineDry white wine, for deglazing
- SpaghettiDry spaghetti, quantity to taste (e.g., 100 g per person)
- Lemon Zest(optional) — Lemon zest, grated; for fragrance
- Bottarga di Muggine(optional) — Mullet bottarga, grated; optional for extra sea flavor
Method
- Purging the clams: prepare a brine with 1 liter of cold water and 35 g of salt (3.5% salinity). Add 500 g of fresh clams and let them purge for 2–3 hours, changing the water occasionally.
- After purging, rinse the clams thoroughly under cold running water.
- In a large pan, heat a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil. Add 2–3 lightly crushed garlic cloves, a chili pepper (whole or chopped), and a small bunch of parsley. Sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the purged clams to the pan. Increase the heat to high and cook for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.
- Deglaze with a splash of dry white wine. Cover the pan and cook until all the clams have opened (about 3 minutes).
- Remove the pan from heat. Take out the clams and separate the meat from the shells, reserving both. Set the meat aside and keep the shells for the broth.
- Strain the cooking liquid (clam juice) through a fine-mesh sieve or colander into a bowl. Reserve.
- Place the reserved clam shells in a separate pot. Cover with fresh water (enough to submerge the shells) and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes to extract flavor. This is the shell broth.
- In another wide pan (or keep the original one), pour in the strained clam juice and add a ladle of the shell broth. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add the spaghetti directly into the simmering broth. Cook the pasta risottata style, adding more shell broth as needed to keep the pasta covered and stir frequently, until the pasta is al dente. (Optional: during cooking, add a bit of grated lemon zest for extra fragrance.)
- When the pasta is almost done (about 1 minute before the end), add the reserved clam meat back to the pan. Toss gently to heat through.
- Remove the pan from heat. Drizzle with a generous amount of raw extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Toss well to emulsify the sauce.
- Plate the spaghetti in a nest shape. If desired, grate mullet bottarga over the top and add a final grating of lemon zest. Serve immediately.
Federico Fusca Chef
Home cook332K subscribers on YouTube256.5M total channel viewsSono Federico Fusca. Cucina italiana godereccia, ignorante e senza compromessi🔥 Ricette vere, creme illegali e piatti che spaccano. 👉 Iscriviti se ami mangiare sul serio.
