Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce

A good and simple recipe.   The recipe calls for fresh clams in the shell but you could substitute them with good quality canned clams and a clam juice.    Could alter the recipe and try it with shrimp or squid or maybe a mix of seafood.

Time: 30 minutes

Kosher salt
4 dozen hard-shell clams, scrubbed and rinsed or equivalent of quality canned whole clams.
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for pasta
4 garlic cloves, slivered
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound bucatini or thick spaghetti
2 cups thick tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Hot red pepper flakes or Turkish maras pepper (optional).
6 oz clam juice if using canned clams.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt to cook the pasta

For Fresh Clams:
Take about half the clams, choosing the largest ones, and put them in a wide skillet with a lid. Add olive oil, turn heat to high, cover, and cook until clams pop open and release liquid, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, remove clams, and add garlic to liquid in pan. Add a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring, until garlic is softened and golden. Remove cooked clams from shells, coarsely chop meat, and add back to skillet. Stir. (Empty shells can be discarded.)  Add remaining clams to skillet, cover, and raise heat to high. When clams open, about 3 minutes,

For Canned Clams:
Heat skillet to medium-low.  Add olive oil to skillet with any liquid drained from canned clams plus the clam juice.   Simmer to 5 mins to reserve.  Add garlic and a few grinds of pepper. Continue to cook til garlic is soft and golden.  Coarsely chopped half of the clams.  Add all clams (chopped and whole) to the skillet.

Add bucatini to boiling water, stir, and bring back to a boil.

For both Fresh and Canned Clams:
Stir in tomato sauce and half the parsley. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to very low.

When pasta is cooked, drain, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with black pepper. Add pasta to skillet with clams, sprinkle with pepper flakes, and toss until well combined. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve in skillet. Yield: 4 servings.