Clean really well:
- 1 pound mussels
- 18 little neck clams
Clean but leave in their shells
- 8 or 12 shrimp, depending on size
Clean
- ½ pound sea scallops, cut in half horizontally (producing shorter cylinders)
Cook the clams with ⅓ cup water, covered in a 2 quart sauce pan, until the clams open. Remove from heat, set clams aside. Separate liquid so that the silty part is removed (pour carefully and you probably don’t need to use a filter paper).
In a large pot (10-12 inches across and nearly as deep) on a medium-high or medium heat, saute until the pasta has turned golden brown to brown
- 2 TBL olive oil
- ¾ pound angel hair pasta, broken into 2-inch pieces
Stir constantly but gently (or it flies out of the pot) until the the pasta is mostly browned. Don’t let it get black. Add..
- ½ tsp saffron
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 TBL garlic, minced
- pepper
Stir and add the mussels and the reserved clam stock. Stir regularly, and as needed add additional water. If the pasta is firm and the liquid has run out, then it needs more water. (The pasta takes about 10 minutes from when you add the clam stock to finish cooking.) When you reach the point the mussels have all opened and the pasta is nearly done, add in the clams and shrimp. Cook for a few minutes more. When the shrimp are nearly done, stir in the scallops, turn off the heat and cover to let the scallops cook. After a minute or two, it will be done.
Check seasoning, it might need salt but usually we don’t need to add any because the clam stock provides enough. Transfer to warm serving platter and top with:
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Serves 4 people.