Ingredients
- 400g clams in shells
- 500 g (1lb) pasta spaghetti
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves sliced
- 2 tsp chilli flakes / red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
If you're using whole clams (which is what I would suggest), make sure they are closed before cooking.
- Soak the clams in a large bowl of heavily salted water for 20-30 minutes. In this time, they should release any sand or sediment. After this time, rinse them well under cold water to wash off any sand and excess salt,
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente then strain and reserve 1 cup of cooking water.
- Steam the clams with a cup of wine or stock until they are open. If they do not open - discard
- Discard any clams that are still closed then set aside the remaining clams. The cooking liquid can be strained (there might be some sand/grit in the bottom of the pan) and added to the sauce for extra flavor.
- In a large skillet or pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a minute.
- Pour in the lemon juice and white wine then bring to a simmer.
- Add the clams and cook for 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly.
- Add butter and allow to melt into the sauce then sprinkle over parsley and season with salt and pepper.
- Toss the sauce with cooked and drained pasta and a splash of the pasta water.