Manila Clam Pasta Recipes

LINGUINE WITH CLAMS (LINGUINE ALLE VONGOLE)

Steps:

• Sort and clean clams following the instructions in my Fresh Clams Guide.
• Cook linguine in a large pot of salted boiling water until it's about a minute shy of al dente, about 8 minutes (pasta will finish cooking in the clam sauce and should have a little firmness to it).
• While the pasta is cooking, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a deep skillet, sauté pan, or braiser (12-14 inches wide). Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until garlic is lightly-browned and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
• Add white wine, lemon juice, and clams, cover pan, and steam over medium-high heat until clamshells have opened, about 5-8 minutes. Gently shake the pan occasionally. I like to start checking the clams at the early end of the range, transferring them from the pan one at a time to a holding bowl as they cook. For tender clams, it's important not to overcook. Tent the bowl of cooked clams with foil. (A few clams might need a little extra time. Discard any clams that don't open after 10-13 minutes.)
• Reserve 1/2 to 1 cup of pasta water before draining the linguine. When all of the clams are cooked and removed from the pan, whisk 3 tablespoons of butter into the simmering steaming liquid.
• Add the drained linguine to the pan, tossing to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes, until linguine is al dente. The sauce should be brothy, but will lightly cling to the noodles. If the linguine looks dry at any point, stir in some of the reserved pasta water, as needed.
• Stir the chopped parsley into the pasta. Season to taste with salt*, additional red pepper flakes, and lemon juice**, if needed.
• At this point, you can either remove the clams from their shells and stir the meat into the pasta, or serve the pasta tossed or topped with the whole clams for guests to de-shell in their bowls. We like to remove the meat from about half of the clams and leave half whole.
• Garnish the dish with a drizzle of fruity olive oil, fresh lemon wedges, and the remaining parsely. Serve immediately with crusty bread for dipping.

STEAMED MANILA CLAMS

Steps:

• Shortly before steaming, scrub the clams with a stiff brush under cold running water to remove any grit on the shells. If any shells are broken, discard them.
• In a Dutch oven or stockpot, combine wine, garlic, salt, and pepper and bring to a rolling boil.
• Once boiling, add the clams and cover with a lid, reduce heat to medium high, and steam for 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove all opened clams to a large serving bowl.
• Stir the pot and cook any remaining clams for an additional 3 minutes until they open. Discard any clams that don't open. With a slotted spoon, divide clams into individual bowls.
• Add the butter to the remaining clam broth, and stir until it melts. Ladle the clam broth over the bowls of clams.
• Garnish with a splash of lemon juice and a sprinkle of parsley.

SPAGHETTI ALLE VONGOLE

Steps:

• Heat up a pot of water and cook the thick spaghetti or linguine until al dente (with a bite in the center of the pasta) per the packaging instructions. Drained and set aside. Save 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
• Heat up a deep skillet, add olive oil and butter. Lightly saute the garlic until you sell the aroma, but not browned.
• Add the clams, pasta water and white wine. (If you can't have alcohol, use water or chicken broth.) Lightly stir the clams and cover the skillet with its lid until the clams open up. Add chicken bouillon powder, ground black pepper and Italian parsley.
• Add the pasta into the skillet. Quickly stir to combine well with the clams and sauce. Add salt to taste. Dish out and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

SPAGHETTI WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta, stirring constantly in the beginning to prevent it from sticking together. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. When almost smoking, add shallots and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the clams and wine. Cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes or until most clams have opened.
• Add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Whisk in butter to thicken sauce slightly.
• Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse pasta with water - this will remove the pasta's natural starches. Place pasta into the clam saute pan and mix thoroughly. Check seasoning.
• Pour pasta into large serving bowl. Zest lemon over the dish, being carefull not to zest the white part of the lemon, which is bitter. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve immediately.

MANILA CLAM PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot with salted water to a boil.
• Put the garlic and the oil in a large pan on low flame, letting the garlic get golden brown. Put the chili in the oil, and a handful of chopped parsley.
• Bring the flame to max and add the vongole to the pan. Cover with a large lid and lower the flame. At this point the water should be boiling. Throw the pasta in the water and cook to "al dente". Let the vongole go for less than 10 minutes, the time it takes for them to open and for the pasta to cook. When ready, throw the pasta in the pan and sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Toss the pasta and serve warm.

MANILA CLAMS WITH BASIL AND CHILES

Steps:

• 1. Place a large, deep frying pan or wok over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the canola oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds. Add the chili pepper and the red and yellow bell peppers and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly cooked, 1-2 minutes.
• 2. Add the clams, discarding any that fail to close to the touch. Stir to coat with the oil. Cook, tossing and stirring, for 2 minutes, then stir in the chili paste and the fish sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until the clams have opened, 3-5 minutes longer. Stir in the basil and mint.
• 3. Transfer the clams to a platter or serving bowl, discarding any that failed to open. Serve immediately.