Authentic home cooking from Italy, with US measurements.

Originally published on Cookpad Italy as Spaghetti con molluschi e una cremina...

Spaghetti with Shellfish and a Creamy Sauce

Name: Spaghetti with Shellfish and a Creamy Sauce
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 1/3 pounds mussels (about 1.5 kg); 2 1/4 pounds littleneck clams (about 1 kg); 14 ounces spaghetti or linguine (about 400 grams); 10 cherry, grape, or plum tomatoes; 4 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese; 1 garlic clove; A few sprigs fresh parsley; Fresh chili pepper, to taste; Salt, to taste; Black pepper, to taste; Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste

Cettina Abate @cook_17051553

Spaghetti with Shellfish and a Creamy Sauce

Cettina Abate @cook_17051553

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Ingredients

4 servings

3 1/3 poundsmussels (about 1.5 kg)
2 1/4 poundslittleneck clams (about 1 kg)
14 ouncesspaghetti or linguine (about 400 grams)
10cherry, grape, or plum tomatoes
4 tablespoonsPecorino Romano cheese
1garlic clove
A fewsprigs fresh parsley
Fresh chili pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste

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Steps

1

Clean the mussels: remove the beard by pulling it toward the end, and use a small knife to scrape off any impurities. Rinse them well under running water; they should be tightly closed. Soak the clams in salted water to help them release any sand. Check each clam by gently tapping it on a white plate—if sand comes out, discard it. Place both the mussels and clams in a pot over high heat with a lid.
2

As soon as they open, turn off the heat. I like to keep half of the shellfish out of the shells and leave the rest in the shells for garnish. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and set it aside. In a wok or deep skillet, heat olive oil with the garlic clove (remove it later), fresh chili pepper, and parsley stems. When the oil sizzles, add the halved tomatoes and cook until they soften, then add the shellfish and let them absorb the flavors.
3

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta. While it cooks, make the creamy sauce by mixing the Pecorino Romano, 2 tablespoons of the shellfish cooking liquid, chopped parsley, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to form a creamy mixture.
4

Once the pasta is ready, drain it and add it to the wok. Toss everything together, adding a bit more shellfish cooking liquid and a drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with the mussels and clams in their shells and the creamy sauce. Enjoy!