Spaghetti with clams and garlic

As we were sailing into St Helens, a couple of scruffy fellas in a bashed-up tinnie, motored up alongside us and handed up a wet hessian sack before speeding off again. It was full of fresh Venerupis clams they had dived up that morning. That night, I cooked the boys this simple pasta dish. Thanks, scruffy fellas!

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 400 g spaghetti
• 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves purple garlic, minced
• 30-40 fresh clams, purged and scrubbed
• 200 ml glass of Riesling
• handful parsley, chopped roughly

Instructions

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frypan with a tight fitting lid over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute or just until beginning to colour. Add the clams and wine, cover and cook, shaking the pan for 4 minutes or just until the clams open.

Drain the pasta of almost all the water. Return the pasta to the pan, then add the clams and oil (add a bit more oil if the pasta soaks it all up). Stir through the chopped parsley and serve immediately. 

This recipe is from Gourmet Farmer Afloat. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.