Get your napkins ready, because there’s nothing like a big pot of clams with spicy Italian sausage floating in a garlicky tomato broth! Other than some crusty bread for dunking, that’s all you’ll be needing with this.
Let’s talk clams, Littleneck clams are best for this recipe, fresh of course. Make sure you clean them really good, trust me, tasting sand is something you do not want!
I like to scrub the clams really good with a stiff brush removing any out side sand, then soak them in a bowl of cold water with some cornmeal sprinkled in for twenty minutes, the cornmeal helps to draw out any of the sand that might be inside the shells, then fill the bowl with water and rinse again, filling with cold water and rinsing a couple more times.
If you see any shells that are open test them by tapping them against another clam, hopefully they will close, if not just discard. Likewise you’ll want to discard If any of the shells are cracked and chipped.
You can pretty much count on some not opening so allow for that when your buying them so you’ll want to add a few extra.
I like using thinly shaved garlic in this recipe, the garlic pieces seem to land right into the shells and it’s so delicious! Spicy Italian sausage is key, it flavors the dish so well, but if you need something less spicy go with mild and just add a little red pepper flakes, you need a little kick!
You could add pasta with this if you like but I think you’ll be throughly content with some warm crusty bread for dunking!
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- 2 dozen Littleneck clams
- ¾ lb of spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 14 oz. can of cherry tomatoes or baby roma tomatoes ( I used Mutti brand)
- ½ bottle of clam juice about 4 oz. is needed
- 5 large garlic cloves, shaved or thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- a good splash of white wine
- a bunch of parsley
- a knob of butter
- olive oil
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- In a heavy bottomed pot or skillet with high sides, drizzle in some olive oil and cook the sausage on medium high heat, making sure to break it up into smaller pieces and cook until you see no more pink then remove from pan and set aside.
- In same skillet drizzle a little more olive oil into the pan then add in the garlic and onions and saute until soft but not caramelized.
- Add the clams tossing them a few times into the garlic and onions.
- Add the white wine to deglaze and let it cook down a couple of minutes, tossing the clams.
- Add in the tomatoes and all the sausage back in stirring until well distributed, then stick a cover on the pan so the clams can steam in the liquid and open up gently.
- When clams have all opened up, stir in a knob of butter and chopped parsley for garnish, maybe a quick drizzle of olive oil too.
- If a clam didn't open and the rest did, just discard it.
- Don't forget the crusty bread, I like to slice a rustic loaf and drizzle with olive oil and stick under the broiler to get it crunchy, but keep checking it could burn easily!
I’m Marie, a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and gramma of two beautiful girls. My passion is food, clear and simple but especially Italian food, hence the name of my blog, Proud Italian Cook. I want you to feel right at home here so grab a cup of coffee, I’ll get the pastries, take a look around and enjoy your visit! {
