The pasta with samphire, clams, and mussels is a seafood-scented first course, easy to prepare and tasty. For the recipe, I used spaghetti as the pasta shape, but you can choose your favorite. The seasoning is unique and flavorful, based on samphire or sea asparagus, clams, and mussels that create a perfect match with this type of plant. Finally, to add a touch of color to the dish, I added some cherry tomatoes.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 1 Person
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
Ingredients
- 7 oz cherry tomatoes
- 2.8 oz spaghetti (or other shape)
- 1.4 oz sea asparagus (samphire)
- 0.9 oz clams (shelled, in brine, fresh or frozen)
- 0.9 mussels (shelled, in brine, fresh or frozen)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 pinches fine salt
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- as needed black pepper
Tools
- Kitchen Scale
- Frying Pan
- Pot
- Small Pot
- Wooden Spoon
- Knife
- Colander
Steps
To prepare pasta with samphire, clams, and mussels….
First, take the samphire, remove the hard stem ends with a knife (usually the ones sold are already quite clean, free of waste) and wash it under cold running water to remove any soil and sand residue.
In a small pot, heat water to cook the samphire. When it boils, add the samphire and cook for 15 minutes. Once cooked, drain and, pressing the base of each sprig, remove the harder central part.
In a larger pot, heat water to cook the pasta, in this case, spaghetti. When it boils, add the spaghetti and cook for the time indicated on the package. I recommend not salting the pasta water as the samphire is already savory.
While the pasta is cooking, pour the extra virgin olive oil into a frying pan and sauté a peeled, whole garlic clove. Then add the washed and halved cherry tomatoes, cooking them for a few minutes until they slightly soften.
Continue by adding the clams and mussels (I used the ones in brine, drained) and the previously boiled samphire. Sauté everything for a few minutes, lowering the heat.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it, saving a bit of the cooking water, and add the spaghetti to the pan with the other prepared ingredients.
Sauté everything one last time, adding a little pasta cooking water, a few pinches of salt, and pepper. Serve hot.
