While we were in Italy, Mr. C and I shared many wonderful pasta dishes. Since we were in southern Italy, home to some of the best seafood you could ever hope to taste, many of the pasta dishes we ate contained seafood, especially shellfish. The dishes were simple with no one flavor overwhelming any of the others. Each dish was a perfect marriage of ingredients.

But before I go any further about the joys of eating seafood in Italy or sharing with you my spin on a classic Italian seafood pasta dish, I have one small confession about Italian cuisine that I need to share with you. There is one shrimp preparation that I doubt either Mr. C or I will ever be able to fully appreciate.

raw shrimp

In Italy shrimp are often deep fried or added to dishes still wearing the suits they were given at birth. In other words, the heads are still on, the skeletal bodies (including the icky little “legs”) are intact, and even the thread like feelers are left on to make the desirability of eating one of these critters even that much less appealing. And then to add insult to injury, Italian chefs tend to cook the hell out the little darlings. So what remains is an almost desiccated carcass in an inpenetrable and unappetizing casing. It leaves me wondering how a country that prides itself, and in almost every other way produces some of the best food in the world, can turn what should be a succulent treat into what Mr. C and I consider an inedible, is nothing short of savagery. But then, in all honesty, we don’t really know how to eat the clothed shrimp either. We watched others seem to enjoy biting off the little heads and (I’ll leave this part to your imagination), but we just could not embrace the whole “alla naturale” experience. But that’s OK. Every other seafood dish we tried was excellent. Just proves not everyone can love every dish they taste, even if it’s an Italian dish! But enough about shrimp and the fact that we prefer our shrimp scantily clad! Back to mussels and clams.

Like I said, we enjoyed clams, mussels and pasta several different times during our time in Italy. In some cases the sauce was more like a marinara, while in a few instances there was no evidence of tomato at all. But often, just to provide a lovely splash of color, a few cherry tomatoes were added just at the last moment. I learned to look forward to those warm, still semi-raw taste treats. I hope you learn to love them too.

And finally, don’t be surprised if I don’t post any recipes for fried shrimp. It just ain’t going to happen!

• 3 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 medium sized shallots, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 c. white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)
• 1 c. vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 3/4 lb. fresh clams, cleaned
• 3/4 lb. fresh mussels, cleaned
• 8-oz. spaghetti, cooked al dente
• 2 T. butter, room temperature
• 2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 8 cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half, opt.

In a large skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes.  Add the garlic, salt, and pepper; cook for about a minute or until the garlic is aromatic. Add the wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, red pepper flakes, clams and mussels.  Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook until all the shellfish have opened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened shellfish.

Using tongs lift the al dente pasta out of the cooking water and add to the pan. Add the butter, parsley and tomatoes; toss until all of the pasta is coated. Adjust seasoning and serve immediately.