SPAGHETTI WITH RAZOR CLAMS, SEAWEED, AND TOMATO-BASIL SAUCE

Spaghetti with Razor Clams, Seaweed, and Tomato-Basil Sauce image

This dish brings back memories of my childhood. I grew up only ten miles from the coast, and spent many Sunday mornings with my friends on the beach digging for clams, which we'd bring home to cook. I love the dense, chewy texture of razor clams, but if they're not available, other clams work great with this recipe, too, including Manila, Asari, and littleneck.

Yield serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 19

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Ingredients

6 Roma tomatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup minced basil leaves
2 teaspoons salt
Pinch of pepper
(makes 2 cups)
1 pound razor clams, alive and in shells (can be found in fish markets or Asian grocery stores; or substitute with any type of shellfish)
3 tablespoons dried wakame
2 cups hot water
12 ounces dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch each of salt and pepper

Steps:

To make the sauce, prepare a small ice bath and bring a pot of water to a boil. With a paring knife, remove the core from the tomatoes and lightly score an X on the bottoms. Blanch the tomatoes in a two-step process: add 1 tomato to the boiling water for 10 seconds, then remove and submerge in the ice bath for 10 seconds. Now add this same tomato to the boiling water again, this time for 5 seconds, and then submerge in the ice bath until cold. Drain. Repeat with the remaining 5 tomatoes.
Once chilled, peel the skins off the tomatoes with a paring knife, then cut the tomatoes into quarters. Use the paring knife to remove and discard the seeds, then chop the tomatoes into small pieces.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and increase the heat to high. Once the liquid starts to boil (the tomatoes will release a lot of water), cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer, until tomato paste is well incorporated, then stir in the sugar, balsamic vinegar, basil, and salt and pepper. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
To make the spaghetti with razor clams, prepare the clams by cutting the shell with a paring knife. Remove the meat, keeping the pieces as whole as possible. Rinse well in salted water to remove any sand, then wash under cold running water for a few minutes. Cut the clams into 1-inch pieces and refrigerate until ready to use.
In a bowl, cover the wakame with the hot water and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the spaghetti noodles and cook, following package instructions. Drain well and return the noodles to the pot. Stir in the butter.
Place a sauté pan over high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the clams and season with the salt and pepper. Cook for 15 seconds, turn over the clams, season again with salt and pepper, and cook for 15 seconds longer. Remove the pan from the heat.
To serve, divide the noodles among 4 plates and top each with 1/2 cup of the sauce, then the wakame and clams.