Vermicelli with Clam Sauce

Name: Vermicelli with Clam Sauce
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 3 1/2 pounds littleneck clams; 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste; 10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 10 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced; 1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes; 1 cup tomatoes al filetto—fresh or canned plum tomatoes seeded and sliced in thin strips; 4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley; 1 pound vermicelli; A clam- or oyster-shucking knife, or other knife with a sturdy, short, sharp blade; A heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 14-inch diameter or larger; A large pot, 8-quart capacity or larger, with a cover, for cooking the pasta

December 14, 2011

With thin vermicelli and tender small clams, this is a very quick-cooking (and very delicious) pasta. To yield their most intense flavor, though, the clams should be freshly shucked and totally raw when they go into the sauce, rather than being steamed in the shell. The method given here—freezing the clams briefly before shucking—makes this task easier than you can imagine, even if you are not a skilled shellfish shucker.

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