Spaghetti With Clams
Cooking with clams is one of the easiest things you’ll ever do as a chef. And talk about an impressive thing to serve at a dinner party! But seriously, what other protein will show you with obvious visual cues when it’s gone bad and when it’s perfectly cooked — two of the biggest things to cause cooks stress when preparing a meal. Not only is this recipe one of the simplest and easiest you’ll ever make, but it also packs a punch with flavor from highlighting fresh ingredients.
What to serve with spaghetti with clams? Fresh, toasted bread is a must to serve with spaghetti and clams. Whether it’s sourdough, a baguette, or any sort of crusty bread, this is an important part of the dish to soak up the remaining sauce that accompanies the pasta.
How to keep clams fresh? Clams should be stored in the fridge in an open container — nothing closed that restricts air flow to the clams. This is because clams are alive until the moment you go to cook them, and you don’t want to do anything to cause them to die before that time. I recommend buying clams the day you’re going to prepare them and using them immediately, but sometimes you can buy them the day or so before if you must. In that case where you need to buy them in advance, ask for advice from the fishmonger about if the clams they have are fresh enough to do so.
Which clams are best for steaming? For spaghetti and clams or any sort of steaming recipe, I recommend buying the freshest, local, tiny clams you can find. Other than that, the varieties of clams can be endless for what you use to make this recipe. The reason why I prefer a smaller clam for spaghetti and clams is that the sweet flavor of the clam will be more concentrated in a tinier body, and this flavor lends itself well to the sauce and pasta.
How to serve spaghetti with clams? I recommend serving spaghetti and clams with the shells incorporated into the pasta and with toasted bread on the side for dipping. You do not have to incorporate the shells (you have the option to take all of the cooked clams out and add them back to the pasta without their shell), but I think it adds to a nicer presentation to keep in the beautiful clam shells.
How to cook with clams?
Why clams are open before cooking them: This could be a couple of different circumstances — either the clam is dead or it is just releasing some of its muscles temporarily in the shell. If the clam is slightly open, give it a light tap on the kitchen counter and wait a few seconds to see if it closes back. If it does close back, it’s safe to eat and can be added to the rest of the clams. If it does not open, that means it’s dead and should be discarded.
Why clams don’t open: This means the clam is dead and should be discarded from the dish.
Why it’s important to scrub clams before cooking: It’s a must to thoroughly scrub each clam before cooking them because their shells will have debris stuck to them that’s undesirable to have in a pasta sauce. Think sand, dirt, etc.
Why hasn’t a clam opened after cooking it for a long time: If you have been steaming your clams for a significant amount of time and there are still one or two that have not opened, discard those clams as they have most likely died prior to cooking and aren’t fresh anymore.
How to make spaghetti with clams:
Spaghetti With Clams
Ingredients
- 24 fresh, raw clams
- ½ lb of dry spaghetti
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 leek or shallot
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Grilled or toasted bread, for serving
- Fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Scrub clams with a vegetable scrubber or clean sponge and rinse them with water. Set the clams aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Season the water with salt and boil the pasta until slightly under al dente.
- Meanwhile, put another large pot over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Thinly slice leeks and garlic and add them to the olive oil, sautéing until they are tender, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt.
- Add the white wine and stir for about 3 additional minutes, allowing the alcohol to cook out of the wine.
- Add the clams to the pot of wine, leeks, garlic and olive oil and cover the pot to allow them to steam.
- Clams cook very quickly, so check the pot every 2 minutes to see if any of them have opened. When you’re doing these checks, remove the clams that have opened fully (not just a crack of the shell, you want them wide open) and set them aside in a large bowl. This is because we want all of the clams to be perfectly cooked, and we don’t want to continue to steam them once they’ve opened and they’re at peak doneness. Continue to do this until every clam has opened and all of them are removed from the pot.
- Add the pasta to the leeks, olive oil, and clam broth and stir all of it together until the pasta is fully cooked and coated in the sauce, about 3 minutes.
- Add the clams back to the pot with the pasta and finish with lemon juice and fresh parsley. Serve right away with fresh bread and enjoy!
