Spaghetti With Clams

When I haven't the time, inclination or supply of fresh clams, a "cheater" version is to use a couple of cans of chopped (not minced) clams from the pantry. Not quite as pretty a presentation, but the taste is there. And a couple of cloves of garlic is a plus.

I quadrupled the recipe (to make 1 pound of pasta), including the vermouth, which means 1 1/3 cups vermouth. That was a mistake! (Well, not a disaster, but the vermouth flavor was too strong.) Apparently that quantity goes over the amount that can possibly cook down. I note that a Mark Bittman recipe (in How to Cook Everything) uses 1/2 cup wine for a pound of pasta, so that would be my recommendation.

This fabulous recipe (which I prefer to Marcella Hazan's published in the Times around 2002) needs the flavorful aromatics found in Noilly Prat vermouth. I used another brand of vermouth when I made the dish last and it did not work as well.

Good recipe, but I added shallots and lemon juice which added a lot of flavor to the broth.

clams did not look fresh so substituted fresh mussels and it was delicious had to triple recipe and still had leftovers, the vermouth Noilly Prat extra dry is available wine store attached to Whole Foods

This is exactly how I've made it for years, it's my wife's favorite. Except, adding at least one to two tablespoons of cold butter to the pan after adding the pasta is de rigueur.

In Italy,sometimes you'll find some halfed cherry tomatoes added to the dish. Along with the parsley,the tomatoes lend a dash more color,and the sweetness and bit of acidity is lovely.

This is almost exactly how I make linguine and clams. I use Pinot Grigio instead of vermouth. I never have room in my pan to finish off the linguine because if I didn't make enough for 3, my husband and son would never forgive me. I add the parsley to the pasta in a serving bowl and then pour a generous amount of sauce on top. it is delicious.

This is a good plan on the chopped clams, but as I make my clam chowder with canned, whole, baby clams, I think the whole ones would work very well in this recipe. Cans are 10 oz. cans. Not sure if I should post brand in here, but hint: begins with a "B". Lovely baby clams, about thumbnail sized. More tender than other chopped clams, and juice is very nice too. :)

Another cheater recipe: I add two small cans of liquid drained from chopped or minced clams to previously sautéed in EVOO sliced large onion, 4 or 5 minced garlics and handful of chopped parsley, plus pinch of red pepper flakes. When liquid is mostly bubbled away, I add the clams, stir until heated through, and then mix in the cooked pasta. Very addictive! Serves 4 but two of us finish it.

Out of trial and error I found that for me, the clams opened across the pan when I added them after the wine (and the liquid has come up to a a simmer/boil). It also worked better when the clams were spread in one even layer across the pan. This turned out amazing the couple of times I made it within a month! I don't like parsley, so added fresh basil just as I turned off the stove and it was also nice.

This is one of my favorite dishes. I added zest from one meyer lemon along with juice from half of lemon, plus shallots. I doubled the amount of vermouth for two people and use 1 1/2 lbs of clams. So good!

I agree. This "cheater" dish is a wonderful, quick and tasty dinner. I wonder why mjan says "chopped (not minced) clams". I, and my wife before me, have been using minced clams and find the result delicious. Next time I make this dish I will try chopped clams to see if there is a significant difference.

Fabulous, simple dish! When I take the canned clam shortcut, I add a bit of oregano and, late in the cooking, a handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half. It adds great color and flavor. The canned clams need a little something extra.

First time cooking this dish. Great flavor, but the clams too way longer than 2minutes to open. More like the 10 min suggested in a similar recipe by Bittman. Recipe is also vague. How long do I cook the garlic? What temperature should the clams be steamed at. Ended up cranking up heat at last step to get more heat (and thus more steam).