“Spaghetti” and Clams
Spaghetti and Clams is a classic, heavenly dish in my book. It’s juicy, garlicky, slurpable, bright and briny all at the same time. If you are a seafood and pasta lover, this is likely your go-to dish at any good Italian joint in town. You can easily make this at home any night of the week, or for an quick and impressive date night at home. This version happens to be low-carb, gluten-free and paleo with the zucchini noodles, but feel free to use fresh pasta if you’re not into that kind of stuff.
Please note you MUST soak the clams in a bowl of fresh water prior to cooking to get rid of any sand. I have made the very grave mistake of just rinsing them in a rush and skipping this step, and ended up with a very sandy and gritty dish. The clams know how to get you back if you don’t give them a nice bath.
If you do not have a spiralizer, you can use a vegetable peeler as a quick fix - it will yield thin and wide noodles like pappardelle if using zucchini. We love using our Paderno spiralizer at home, which you can find here for under $25. You can spiralize zucchini noodles ahead of time and just keep it in an airtight container for a few days in the fridge to use for stir-fries, bakes, or noodle bowls. I tend to like thinner zucchini noodles - it feels more like real pasta. Be careful not to over cook - it is best served when there is still a “bite” to the zucchini noodle, must like al dente pasta.
“Spaghetti” and Clams
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
2 large zucchini, spiralized
1lb littleneck clams, rinsed and soaked
1/2 cup clam juice, chicken or fish stock, can also use white wine or Rosé
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp crushed plantain chips, toasted
Salt + pepper
Method
In medium bowl, soak the clams in fresh water for at least 20 minutes to give them time to release sand. Rinse thoroughly and set aside.
In a large pan on high heat, pour in olive oil to coat. Place the garlic and red pepper flakes into the pan and sauté together until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Pour in stock or wine, clams, lemon juice and zest and cover the pan for 3-5 minutes until all the clams open up.
Fold in zucchini noodles and coat evenly with the sauce. Toss in parsley, season with salt + pepper, and plate. Finish with crumbled plantain chips at the very last minute for some crunch.
For AIP, use stock instead of wine, and omit red pepper flake and black pepper.