Spaghetti with clams might bring up a memory, or a fantasy, of an Italian summer dinner enjoyed by the seaside. However, this classic dish is also a staple at Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinners, often served family style to share around the table. The tradition comes from Campania, Naples region, where it is a customary to go to the fish market early morning before Christmas to pick the freshest clams and let them soak before preparing the delightful dish.
The South of Italy is known to celebrate Christmas Eve with a large seafood dinner, called Feast of Seven Fishes, a custom carried on in some Italian-American communities. The tradition is rooted on the Roman Catholic rule to abstained from eating meat on the eve of a feast day, and is rich in religious symbolism. Spaghetti with clams, also known as spaghetti alle vongole, is often featured on the menu, which includes a variety of fish and shellfish depending on regional cuisine and family traditions. It can be prepared with different types of clams and a red tomato sauce or a simpler white version.
The modernized recipe, featured below, brings out the full flavor of the clams with just a few ingredients such as extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and fresh parsley. The first rule when making this festive dish is to use high quality and freshest ingredients possible, in particular when preparing seafood items such as clams, that should be soaked for a few hours before cooking. Another imperative rule for a successful dish is to cook the spaghetti strictly al dente before adding them to the clams and their broth. Barilla Collezione ® Spaghetti, an artisanal premium, bronze cut pasta made with high quality ingredients, will cook to perfection in eleven minutes for a perfectly al dente texture and taste. Just add a generous pinch of salt to the cooking water to enhance its flavor.
Spaghetti with clams might seem like a complicated dish, but it is fairly quick to make once the clams are properly cleaned. It will be the highlight of any holiday feast, and can be enjoyed year around while bringing a taste to the Amalfi Coast to the table.
Spaghetti with clams
Serves 6
12 oz Barilla Collezione ® Spaghetti, 2.2 lbs clams, 1 clove of garlic, 1 bunch of parsley, a little extra-virgin olive oil to grease the pan, black pepper, nine salt.
How to prepare it
Step 1 - Clean the clams
Put the clams in salted water and let it soak for 2 to 3 hours. Discard any broken shells, and tap with your hands the others on a cutting board: the ones that stay closed are the good ones, the ones that open will be filled with sand.
Step 2 - Cook the clams
Heat an large oiled skillet with a unpeeled garlic and the parsley stems. Drain the clams well and pour them in the heated skillet. Cover with a lid and cook them for 3 to 4 minutes at high heat so that they open up. Shake the clams in the pan until they are all open.
Remove the clams with a skimmer and put them in a metal bowl with handles. Preserve the cooking water and pass it through a strainer padded with a paper towel to filter the water and remove possible sand residue.
Step 3 - Cook the pasta and assemble the dish
While preparing the clams, cook the Barilla Collezione ® Spaghetti in a large amount of salted water for 11 minutes. Drain the pasta preserving its cooking water and put it in another pot. Add a ladleful of its cooking water, and one of the filtered clams water with a drop of oil to complete the cooking, and stir with tongs. Once creamy, add the clams and the minced parsley. Bring up to heat together. The spaghetti will be ready to serve immediately.