Recipe from Pati Jinich
Adapted by Kim Severson
- Total Time
- About 45 minutes
- Rating
- 4(164)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Clams work their way into plenty of dishes in the Baja Peninsula of Mexico, which is where the chef Pati Jinich picked up this recipe for pasta con salsa picante de chorizo y almejas. The dish, which she featured on an episode of her PBS show, “Pati’s Mexican Table,” is a nod to the prized clams that are harvested in and around the coastal lagoons on Mexico’s Pacific shores. It pays homage to the surf-and-turf dishes in Tijuana, where cooks find seemingly endless ways to mix meat and seafood on a single plate. The dish takes its aggressive heat from chorizo and chiles de arbol, but it can be dialed down by substituting ½ teaspoon or less of red-pepper flakes. The beer in the dish is Ms. Jinich’s nod to the craft-beer boom in Baja. —Kim Severson
Featured in: Forget the Wall: Pati Jinich Wants to Build a Culinary Bridge to Mexico
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Ingredients
Yield:4 large servings
- 4 to 5dozen small littleneck clams
- 4tablespoons olive oil
- ½pound chorizo sausage, casings removed and filling chopped
- 1cup finely chopped white onion
- 5garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
- 2chiles de arbol, stemmed and chopped (keep the seeds), plus more to taste
- 1cup light beer
- ½teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste
- 1(28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- 1teaspoon honey
- 1pound spaghetti
- 2tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
- 2tablespoons chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1035 calories; 39 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 21 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 117 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 17 grams sugars; 51 grams protein; 1878 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Rinse and scrub the clams under cold water, making sure they are closed and unbroken. Discard any that aren’t closed. Drain well.
Step
2
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot or casserole with a lid set over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chorizo, breaking it into smaller pieces with 2 wooden spatulas or spoons, and fry until it begins to crisp and brown, about 4 minutes. Remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.
Step
3
Add the 2 remaining tablespoons of olive oil to the rendered chorizo fat and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for a couple of minutes until softened. Add the garlic and chile de arbol and cook for a minute, until the garlic is fragrant and the chile de arbol begins to toast. Pour in the beer, add the salt, and once it comes to a simmer, incorporate the drained clams. Let it come to a simmer again, cover with a lid, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally to help distribute the clams, until the shells open.
Step
4
Remove the lid and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the clams into a bowl, including the clam meat that may have fallen from the shells, and discarding those with closed shells. Raise the heat to medium-high and continue to cook the beer-clam liquid for 6 to 7 minutes, so it strongly simmers and a lot of the alcohol evaporates. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and honey. Stir well, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once in between.
Step
5
Meanwhile, bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 9 to 10 minutes.
Step
6
Remove about 3 dozen clams from their shells and discard those shells. Remove the lid from the pot with the sauce and incorporate the cooked chorizo, shelled clam meat and the clams still in their shells. Mix well.
Step
7
Strain the spaghetti and add it to the sauce. Toss until it is coated. Transfer to a serving platter or individual bowls. Garnish with the parsley and cilantro, and serve.
Ratings
4
out of 5
164
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Cooking Notes
Liza
For the chorizo sausage, are we talking the mexican kind (which can be so soft, there's no chopping...) or spanish (a very firm sausage)?
twwren
Since the recipe is from Mexico, I think you can assume Mexican chorizo.
Nolan
This came out amazing - my wife and I could not stop eating it. We used about 2 dozen clams and 2 pounds of muscles for the seafood, and used canned whole plum tomatoes and rough crushed them in the pot. We also used crushed pepper instead of the arbol chilis to have a more mild, balanced heat. Definitely will be keeping this in mind for when we can finally have people over again!
pame9
I felt like there was way too much tomato sauce and it overpowered the chorizo and the clams. I think a lighter sauce would be better to let the ingredients shine.
Sngta
The sauce is tasty but the chorizo simply dominates the delicate clams. Will not make it again.
Margot
I love this recipe! My boyfriend and I enjoyed every bite! It's quick and delicious!
Janice Saunders
I thought this was fantastic as did 1/2 of my family. What do the rest of them know????
Denis
This is really good. In my area I can buy ground chorizo which simplifies the process.
Peach
Used white wine instead of beer and used two pounds of clams. Very delicious will make it again! Also used red pepper flakes instead of the Chile de árbol and the flavor was very good. Mild spice level and added more red pepper flakes on top as a garnish. We took the clams out of all of the shells so it was easier to eat. Served the chili flakes in a single clam shell on top and it was very pretty.
Heather
This dish is really yummy. I used Calabrian chilies because that’s what I had and fresh bulk pork chorizo and 1.5 lbs of littleneck clams from my local butcher. Clams are expensive (mine were $9.99/lb) so if I did it again, I’d mix clams in shell with canned so there is more ocean flavor (or maybe some anchovies at the beginning). The chorizo and tomato sauce is really really delicious though and my husband and I gobbled it up.
John
This dish was fantastic! I used just over two lbs of clams and 1/2 lb of linguini to feed two with leftovers. I kept to the recipe otherwise.
Nolan
This came out amazing - my wife and I could not stop eating it. We used about 2 dozen clams and 2 pounds of muscles for the seafood, and used canned whole plum tomatoes and rough crushed them in the pot. We also used crushed pepper instead of the arbol chilis to have a more mild, balanced heat. Definitely will be keeping this in mind for when we can finally have people over again!
LindaL
Really good. I used fresh turkey chorizo.
Kayla
So tasty! Great quarantine dish! Subbed Italian sausage for chorizo, added canned clams and a splash of clam juice when I added homemade marinara after the beer. I loved the spice. The flavors are so exciting and it was such a change of pace from my routine meals. Next time I'll use the white wine I drank with dinner ;) cheers to clam pasta!
leonard canter
This recipe was terrific, just the right amount of heat and tons of flavor. We did use nearly double the amount of chorizo--three fresh links weighing just shy of a pound--and found that it was the perfect amount. I also didn't use the first two tablespoons or oil--the fat from the sausage started rendering immediately. For anyone cutting back on carbs, you'll still get enough for 4 people by cutting the pasta amount in half.
IndifferentCook
Used 2 cans of clams instead of fresh. You do lose the dramatic appearance of the clam shells, but the taste and texture of the sauce were still fine.
Liza
For the chorizo sausage, are we talking the mexican kind (which can be so soft, there's no chopping...) or spanish (a very firm sausage)?
leonard canter
I used fresh (soft) links from Whole Foods, and they were delicious
twwren
Since the recipe is from Mexico, I think you can assume Mexican chorizo.
dimmerswitch
The Spanish kind.
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