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Spaghetti Con le Vongole e Bottarga

Spaghetti Vongole with Bottarga
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2

Equipment

  • Chopping knife and board
  • Large cooking pot
  • 2 Large pans plus lids
  • Colander

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg Fresh vongole
  • 5 cloves fresh young garlic
  • 1 Moroccan preserved lemon alt. organic lemon
  • 1 splash Dry white wine
  • 1 pinch Dried chili flakes
  • 150 ml Fruity olive oil
  • ½ bunch fresh curly parsley
  • 250 g Spaghetti
  • Bottarga di Muggine
  • Salt

Instructions
 

  • Cleaning the clams:
    Place the clams in a large bowl, covering them entirely with cold water, add 2 tablespoons of salt.
    Let the clams sit for about 20 minutes to expel any sand. After 20 minutes, drain the clams in a colander, rinse with cold water, and repeat the process with fresh water.
  • Prep:
    Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the spaghetti. Add salt to the boiling water.
    Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Wash the parsley and chop it finely.
    Finely chop the preserved lemon and set aside.
  • The sauce:
    Cover the bottom of a large, deep pan entirely with olive oil, at least 3 ml deep, and slowly heat it.
    Sauté the garlic in the oil for about 5-10 minutes, ensuring it doesn't brown. Add chili flakes to taste, then set the pan aside.
    In your other pan, heat a splash of oil again.
    Drain the clams, rinse them, and add them to the hot oil.
    Deglaze with a generous splash of white wine. Cover with a lid and cook the clams until they have fully open, stirring occasionally. After about 5-10 minutes, or when no more clams open, discard any unopened clams, and transfer the open clams to the deep pan with the garlic-oil mixture. Add the broth from the clam pan. Mix everything thoroughly and let it simmer gently.
    Add the chopped preserved lemon.
  • The spaghetti:
    Cook the spaghetti al dente according to the package instructions.
    Drain the spaghetti a minute before the end of the cooking time, preserve one ladle of pasta water and add it to your clams, then season your clam sauce to taste.
    Fold the spaghetti into the clams, let it sit for a minute.
    Serve the pasta and clams on deep plates, sprinkle with parsley, and grate the Bottarga generously over the pasta.