Mussel and Clam Soba With Browned Anchovy Butter

Name: Mussel and Clam Soba With Browned Anchovy Butter
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: 2 lb. fresh littleneck clams, Manila clams, and/or mussels, scrubbed clean; 6 oz. dried soba noodles; 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter; 4 anchovy fillets (canned or jarred); 8 cloves garlic, minced; 1 Tbsp. sambal oelek; ½ cup white wine; Kosher salt; Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling; 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; Crushed red pepper flakes, for garnish

By Ronnie Woo

May 18, 2023

Soba noodles with mussels and clams in a bowl.

Photo by Ronnie Woo

I’m a lover, not a hater…of all types of shellfish, while my husband Doug, on the other hand, only likes mussels. Maybe it has something to do with their slightly different textures or the fact that clams live in sand and mussels live on rocks, piers, and pilings. Personally, I’m not going to judge how shellfish live their lives, because to me they are equally delicious. However, if you’re like Doug and prefer one kind of shellfish over another, feel free to make this recipe with just that one. I don’t really feel like I need to sell this umami bomb of a recipe to you, but just in case, you’ve got mussels and clams tangled up in strands of nutty buckwheat noodles soaking in a briny, garlicky, and ever-so-slightly-spicy broth. Need I say more?

This recipe was excerpted from 'Did You Eat Yet?' by Ronnie Woo. Buy the full book on Amazon.

Ingredients

Serves 2

2 lb. fresh littleneck clams, Manila clams, and/or mussels, scrubbed clean

6 oz. dried soba noodles

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

4 anchovy fillets (canned or jarred)

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. sambal oelek

½ cup white wine

Kosher salt

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Crushed red pepper flakes, for garnish

Preparation

Prep the shellfish
Step 1
Submerge the clams in very cold water for at least 15 minutes to encourage them to spit out any remaining sand or grit. (If you’re using farm-raised clams, feel free to skip this step because most are purged of sand before they hit the market.) For the mussels, pull off any fibrous beards (a.k.a. the byssus thread, which is what the mussel uses to permanently attach itself to things) and rinse the mussels with cold water. Any shellfish that are open and do not close when you tap on them are dead and should be thrown away.
Cook the soba
Step 2
Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil. Add the soba noodles and cook 1 minute less than al dente according to the package directions. Drain in a colander, rinse with cool water to remove the excess starch, and thoroughly drain again. Divide the soba noodles between two serving bowls and set aside.
Cook the anchovies
Step 3
In a large pot (with a tight-fitting lid) over medium heat, add the butter and anchovy fillets and cook until the milk solids in the butter begin to brown and the anchovies soften, 1 to 2 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break them up into teeny-tiny pieces. Stir in the garlic and sambal oelek and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Cook the shellfish
Step 4
Carefully add the shellfish to the pot (so you don’t break the shells). Add the wine and a pinch of salt and give everything a gentle stir to combine. Increase the heat to high, cover with the lid, and steam the shellfish until they all open up, 5 to 7 minutes, giving the pot a shake every 2 minutes (without opening the lid). Discard any shellfish that did not open. Divide the shellfish and broth between the two bowls of soba. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, chopped parsley, and pepper flakes. Serve immediately.