Spaghetti with Clams | Spaghetti con Vongole
Author: 
Recipe type: Main, Pasta
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 pound dried spaghetti noodles (I mixed in whole wheat spaghetti)
  • 1 pound manila clams (in shell)
  • 2 cans (6.5 oz each) of chopped clams, including liquid
  • 1 can (10 oz) whole baby clams, drained (reserve ½ liquid)
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 shallots
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup dry white wine (I used an inexpensive sauvignon blanc)
  • ½ cup fresh Italian leaf parsley, rough chopped
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • Lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta until al dente; about 7 to 8 minutes. Prior to adding the pasta to the boiling water, I spray the water with cooking spray or I add a splash of olive oil. Be sure to stir the pasta as soon as it is added to the water to prevent it from sticking together. Remove pasta from water, reserve pasta water.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan and add shallots and garlic. Don't let the garlic burn. Allow the shallots to cook until translucent and tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add fresh manila clams in shell with white wine, cover pan and steam for 7 minutes or until clam shells have opened.
  3. Add canned chopped clams with liquid and canned whole baby clams with just half of the can's liquid to the pan of steamed manila clams. Whisk in butter to thicken sauce. Add just half of the chopped parsley and drained pasta to the clam sauce. Very gently toss the spaghetti to coat it with the sauce.
  4. Transfer spaghetti con vongole to serving bowl. Garnish with fresh lemon zest and the remainder of the fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe compliments of Giada de Laurentis.
Recipe by Bebe Love Okazu at https://bebeloveokazu.com/2011/06/08/spaghetti-with-clams-spaghetti-con-vongole/