Clams, fermented chilli, lemon, toasted garlic pasta

Surely there is no better combination than the brininess of clams, the zestiness of lemon and the fire of chilli. While this dish does not need any adaptations, I was inspired by my local pizzeria to use fermented chilli and toasted garlic as another expression. If you’ve eaten Bella Brutta’s clam pizza in Sydney you’ll know what I’m talking about. The fermented chilli here comes in the form of sambal oelek, an Indonesian chilli paste, but purists can use fresh chilli or chilli flakes if this is a step too far away from the classic. For me, it’s simply another way of celebrating this killer combination. I prefer to use a dried pasta in this dish, and in fact most olive oil–driven sauces like the firmness of dried pasta, but if you do use fresh – which I have done many times – just let your pasta dry out for a short while (no more than an hour) to give it a little extra bite. 

Serves 2 

Ingredients

500g clams 

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped 

1 tablespoon salted butter 

1 tablespoon sambel oelek (use half if you prefer less heat) 

75ml dry white wine 

small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped 

zest of 1 lemon and juice of ½ lemon

FRESH PASTA FOR 2 linguine, tagliolini 

DRIED PASTA FOR 2 linguine, spaghetti 

Method

Place the clams in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside for 1 hour to purge them of any sand and grit. Drain. Bring a large saucepan of water to a lively boil and season as salty as the sea. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. 

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil with the garlic in a large frying pan over low heat, until starting to warm — not hot, do you hear me? Garlic burns fast and if you add it to already-hot oil, the outside will brown before the inside has had a chance to cook. Cook, stirring constantly and keeping an eye on it, for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to colour. 

Add the butter, along with the sambal oelek, and allow to melt. 

Add the drained clams and increase the heat to medium. Pour in the wine, then cover and leave for 2 minutes or until most of the clams have opened. 

Drain the pasta and add it to the opened clams. Discard any clams that have not opened. Toss well and leave for a minute, then stir through the parsley, lemon zest and juice. Transfer to a big serving bowl and dig in.

From Saturday Night Pasta by Elizabeth Hewson (Plum, $36.99)