Top Chef Tuesday-ish: Spaghetti with Clams

Ok, first, a few disclaimers: 1) while I’m adding this to my Top Chef Tuesday Series, it has nothing to do whatsoever with the finale. 2) I couldn’t really get inspired the past couple of weeks when these amazing chefs were forced to cook on a cruise ship, ya know? I just can't get behind a mobile petri dish on the water, and 3) it’s kinda related to TCT because this is something I shot a few weeks back when I made Cioppino. I had some leftover clams and decided to make this super fast and delicious dinner, and 4) I think I referred to this as linguini with clams in the video…I was a little tipsy when I shot this; it’s spaghetti because I had no linguini. All that aside, this dish is an amazing summertime option and most importantly: fantastically delicious. I’ve been getting some mileage out of my Italian compound butter too. I added it to this dish as well as some grilled steaks - it is so damn good. So, without further ado, the final Top Chef Tuesday of 2024. Watch the full episode here.

Spaghetti with Clams

If you have linguini, use it. Spaghetti was all I had on-hand in my pantry and was perfectly fine. While the recipe in the video is for one serving, this recipe is for two.

• ½ lb dried linguine or spaghetti

• ~20 clams, cleaned

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 1 large shallot, minced

• Pinch of chili flakes

• White wine

• Fresh parsley, minced

• Juice from half a lemon

• Italian compound butter

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile prepare the other ingredients. 

Once you drop the pasta in the water, pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil into a large skillet, set over medium-high heat. When the pasta has wilted and fallen into the water, stir for about a minute to ensure nothing sticks together.

When the oil begins to ripple, add in the garlic, shallot, chili flakes and a pinch of salt. Saute for about 3 minutes until the shallots have softened and the garlic is turning gold.

Add in some wine, about a cup, and boil for a minute or so over high heat.

Add in the clams, along with a heavy pinch of parsley and give the pan a good shake. Cover the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes until the clams pop open. 

After this time, uncover the skillet, drain the pasta and toss it into the skillet with the clams, along with a little pasta cooking water and toss everything together. 

Add in a couple tablespoons of Italian compound butter along with the lemon juice, a little more minced parsley, and some freshly cracked black pepper. Toss once more until everything is saucy and beautiful. 

If any clams have not opened, discard them prior to serving.

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