Food & Drink

Littleneck Clams with Calabrian Chili Broth

A Miami chef shares his favorite meal for a low-key New Year’s Eve at home

By Emily Daily
Recipe by Niven Patel

December 20, 2022

Photo: Alpareno Restaurant Group

After a few weeks of festively rich dishes, ringing in the new year with a fresh, less complex recipe can be a treat. “New Year’s Eve is always a busy holiday for anyone working in a restaurant,” says Chef Nivan Patel of the Miami-based Orno. “If I had the night off, I’d choose to stay in and make a meal at home.” His go-to recipe is a dish of littleneck clams sauteed in a zesty chili butter sauce and nestled atop bucatini pasta. The simple yet elevated entree is a staple at Orno, his New American restaurant in Coral Gables.

Though Patel usually makes his own pasta by hand (“it’s a very relaxing and creative process”), this recipe will taste just as good with store-bought pasta, he promises. “It’s a great fit for New Year’s because it pairs really nicely with wine and Champagne.”

Ingredients

Littleneck Clams with Calabrian Chili Broth (Yield: 4 servings)
FOR THE CLAMS:
- 2 lb. littleneck clams, washed and rinsed to remove sand
- 4 cups ice
- ¼ cup salt
FOR THE CHILI BUTTER:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp. Calabrian chili, chopped
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds, toasted and ground
- 1 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zested
FOR FINISHING
- 1 tsp. vegetable oil
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup water
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 lb. cooked bucatini

Preparation

Place clams in a large bowl; add ice cubes and ¼ cup salt. Add just enough cold water to cover the clams by 1 inch. Let clams purge for 30 minutes. Place all ingredients for chili butter in a mixing bowl and mash together. Heat 1 tsp. vegetable oil in a large saute pan. Add clams, white wine, and water and cover for 3 minutes or until all clams are open. Once they’ve opened, add the chili butter, fresh lemon, salt, and cooked pasta and swirl it all together. Cook for 2 minutes and serve.

Emily Daily is newsletter editor at Garden & Gun. A native of Lynchburg, Virginia, she was an equestrian sports journalist for fifteen years prior to joining the magazine in 2022. She lives just outside Charleston with her photographer husband, Josh; their daughter, Indigo; two dogs, Ruby and Khaleesi; and pony, Cady.