Spaghetti alle Vongole

Spaghetti alle vongole is spaghetti tossed with small clams in their own briny liquid, white wine, garlic and chilli. It's a Neapolitan pasta built entirely without cheese or cream — the clam liquor released as the shells pop open, not a separate sauce, is what actually coats the pasta.

What it actually is

Small clams steam open in a hot pan with olive oil, sliced garlic and a piece of dried chilli, releasing their own briny liquid the moment the shells crack. A splash of white wine joins that liquid and reduces slightly, then just-boiled spaghetti goes straight into the pan to finish cooking in it, tossed hard until the starchy pasta water and clam liquor bind into a thin, clinging sauce. Chopped parsley finishes it off the heat.

No cheese goes anywhere near this dish, in the version served in bianco — that's the classic, and grating Parmesan or Pecorino over a seafood pasta is considered a real mistake in most Italian kitchens, not a matter of taste.

How it's served

• Immediately, in a warmed bowl, clams left in their shells for guests to work through by hand.
• With good bread, to mop up the clam-and-wine liquor left in the bowl.
• Without cheese, on the table or added at all, in the classic in bianco version.

Writing it on a menu

• Flag molluscs, sulphites from the wine and gluten; all three are structural to the dish.
• Note that any clams left closed after cooking should be discarded, not served, since a closed shell means it never opened and is best set aside.
• Say plainly that no cheese is added, since some guests may expect it on any pasta dish.
• Mention if you offer a spicy version with extra chilli, since the level of heat varies noticeably between kitchens.