Pasta Vongole

During a vacation in Sicily, my husband and I ate the absolute tastiest Pasta Vongole we have ever eaten. We became regular customers at this fairly simple restaurant during the two weeks we stayed there because of this dish. Every time I visit a new Italian restaurant, I try their Pasta Vongole but unfortunately, I am often disappointed. It is a fairly simple dish to prepare but I have had to experiment and adjust the recipe many times to create a recipe that resembles the one in Sicily.

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You will need

14 oz Linguine

1/4 cup olive oil

5 large shallots, finely chopped

7 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated on the coarse side of the grater

1 red Spanish pepper, finely chopped

12 flavorful cherry tomatoes, washed

2 lbs frozen vongole, thawed

1 ¼ cups of dry white wine

½ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 can (2.3 oz drained weight) vongole without shells, drained

0.21 – 0.42 cup of heavy cream

For serving

Chopped parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

Peperoncino or fresh sliced red chili

Finely grated Parmesan

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How to make it

1. Prepare all ingredients

2 lbs frozen vongole, thawed

1/4 cup olive oil

5 large shallots, finely chopped

7 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated on the coarse side of the grater

1 red Spanish pepper, finely chopped

12 flavorful cherry tomatoes, washed

½ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped + some for decoration

1 can (2.3 oz drained weight) vongole without shells, drained

Finely grated Parmesan

2. Pour plenty of water into a pot. Put on a lid and bring to a boil. When the water boils, add salt (see tip below). Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the package but 1–2 minutes shorter because the pasta will continue cooking in the sauce.

14 oz Linguine

½ tbsp of salt per 34 fl. oz of water

3. Heat up olive oil in a large pot and sauté shallots, garlic, and Spanish pepper over medium heat and while stirring for 3–4 minutes, without the shallots and garlic taking color.

1/4 cup olive oil

5 large shallots, finely chopped

7 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated on the coarse side of the grater

1 red Spanish pepper, finely chopped

4. Add the tomatoes and sauté for a short while. Squeeze the tomatoes with the back of a ladle so that they become lightly crushed.

12 flavorful cherry tomatoes, washed

5. Add vongole with shell together with wine. Cook under a lid for three minutes.

2 lbs frozen vongole, thawed

1 ¼ cups of dry white wine

6. Remove mussels that have not opened or put them in a separate heated pot with liquid and cook them a little more under a lid to see if they open. Remove and discard mussels that have not opened.

7. Add parsley, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and vongole without shell. Heat up and mix well.

½ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 can (2.3 oz drained weight) vongole without shells, drained

8. Add the cooked Linguine and mix well. Let the pasta cook in the sauce for a couple of minutes while stirring.

9. Round off with a little heavy cream. Heat up while stirring. Ensure that the pasta is perfectly al dente before it is served.

0.21 cup – 0.42 cup of heavy cream

10. Serve the pasta on individual plates or in a serving bowl. Sprinkle the top with chopped parsley and make a few turns with the pepper mill. Serve with grated Parmesan, Peperoncino or fresh sliced red chili on the side. In Italy, it is not customary to eat Parmesan with fish and seafood, but I take some liberties because I think it fits excellently!

Chopped parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

Peperoncino or fresh sliced red chili

Finely grated Parmesan

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Tip: Add salt to the pasta water only when it boils. Otherwise, the salt makes the water boil slower.