A simple Italian classic dish of clams cooked in olive oil, garlic, wine and chilli, tossed together with spaghetti. It makes an elegant and flavourful dinner, ready in 20 minutes.
Add the clams, white wine and stock pot/cube. Place a lid on the pan and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the clam shells open.
90 ml (1/3 cup) dry white wine, 1 fish stock pot or crumbled stock cube, 1 kg (2.2lb) fresh small clams in shells
Remove the lid and discard any clams that have not opened.
Add the cooked pasta and a few good splashes of the pasta cooking water, then sprinkle over the chopped parsley.
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
Toss together with a set of tongs, adding more pasta water if you'd like more liquid.
Divide between bowls and serve with lemon wedges and a sprinkling of black pepper.
1 lemon, black pepper
Notes
Fresh or frozen clams?I prefer to use fresh clams, but frozen work well too.Fresh If you're using fresh clams, check that they're all closed before cooking. If any are a little bit open, give them a tap and they should close. If they don't close, discard the open ones. Once cooked, all the clams should be open. Discard any that stay closed.Frozen If you're using frozen clams, defrost them first and drain off any liquid before using. The open/close rules don't apply for frozen clams.Optional extras for this recipe:
Diced cherry tomatoes (add right at the end)
Finely diced shallots (add with the garlic)
A splash (2-3 tbsp) double/heavy cream and or 2-3tbsp grated parmesan (stir in right at the end).
Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (this recipe serves 4).