Spaghetti con Vongole e Bottarga
This classic, simple, fisherman’s pasta consists of spaghetti, olive oil (home-pressed, of course!) and a little chili, and the bottarga is left in a bowl on the table, so each person can vary the amount they sprinkle on their plate depending on individual taste. This version gets a little fancy, with the addition of vongole (clams).
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
- 500 g 1lb spaghetti (No.5)
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small knob of butter
- 1 kg 2.2lb small clams (vongole)
- 50 g 1.75oz packet of bottarga di muggine macinata (you may not use it all)
- 1 cup dry white wine for the pot (1 glass extra for the chef)
- 4 clove garlic (crushed slightly)
- Good pinch of peperoncino (or dried red chilli, chopped into tiny pieces)
- Bunch of fresh parsley (finely chopped)
Instructions
- 1
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta as per the timing listed with the instructions. It’s usually around 8 minutes for this size spaghetti.
- 2
Back away from the olive oil bottle! Don’t waste good olive oil by putting it in with the pasta. It’s the rolling boil that stops it sticking together; adding oil to stop pasta sticking is a myth. Maybe an olive oil producer came up with that one…anyway back to the recipe.
- 3
Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the garlic. Add the peperoncino and a handful of the chopped parsley.
- 4
Take out the garlic and add the wine, clams, and a tablespoon of bottarga. Put the heat on high and cover the pan.
- 5
Sip your wine. Wait about 4–5 minutes for the clams to cook.
- 6
Discard any clams that don’t look like opening. Some say this is a myth. If some of these non-believers are at your table for dinner and are being disagreeable about it, give them those unopened clams to eat while you finish the dish.
- 7
Drain the pasta. Toss with the clams and sauce. Add another tablespoon of bottarga.
- 8
Serve the pasta family-style or individually, it’s up to you, but make sure there’s a little dish of bottarga on the table and a spoon for sprinkling it over the pasta. Because your guests will want more.