Fregola with baby clams and king prawns is made with a typical Sardinian pasta of semolina shaped like small balls, produced by rolling in a clay bowl and then toasted in the oven. In this recipe, I will prepare fregola risotto-style with baby clams and king prawns, and you will see that it is not difficult to achieve an excellent result.
Baby clams are a smaller variety of clams, which you can replace with clams themselves or, if you find them, cockles will be exquisite. The red king prawns can also be replaced with smaller shrimp, and the result will always be a delicious seafood main course to enjoy with family. Fregola is also worth trying in its vegetarian version fregola risotto-style with eggplants, cherry tomatoes, and basil .
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 9 oz fregola (already toasted)
- 2.2 lbs baby clams
- 16 king prawns (or 20 smaller shrimp)
- 14 oz tomato puree
- 1 glass dry white wine
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bunch chopped parsley
- fish stock (1 quart)
- to taste olive oil, salt, chili pepper
Steps
1 – Wash the baby clams and let them purge in a bowl with water and salt for about 2 hours.
Clean the king prawns by cutting the shell on the back to easily remove the black intestinal cord, then set them aside.
2 – In a small pan, sauté 1 clove of garlic with a splash of olive oil, toss in the baby clams, sauté over high heat, add the white wine, and after it evaporates, cover the pan to open the mollusks.
3 – Turn off the heat when the shells are all open and let them rest for a few minutes, then strain the cooking liquid. Shell half of the baby clams and leave the other half in their shells, keeping them in the obtained cooking liquid.
4 – Also prepare 1 quart of fish stock, or vegetable stock, and keep it aside for the next step.5 – In a large pot with high sides, or in a clay pot which enhances the flavors, pour the olive oil and add a clove of garlic. Let it brown and then add the tomato puree and finely chopped fresh parsley.
6 – Cook the tomato for 5/8 minutes before adding the fregola.
Stir with a wooden spoon the fregola with the tomato, and when the sauce thickens, add the mollusks’ liquid. Continue stirring on medium/low heat and proceed as when making risotto, adding ladles of stock as needed.
7 – Continue until halfway through the fregola’s cooking, then also add the shelled and unshelled baby clams.8 – Almost at the end of cooking (it will take about 30 minutes), add the cleaned king prawns.
Taste the fregola and adjust the salt if necessary, add a pinch of chili pepper, and turn off the heat when cooked.
9 – The consistency will be slightly brothy, but not liquid.
Serve the fregola with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and a drizzle of raw olive oil.
