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Chickpeas and Clams (Ceci e Vongole)

Chickpeas and Clams (Ceci e Vongole)

By Courtney HillJanuary 10, 2025

  • Makes
    4 to 6 servings
  • Cook Time
    30 minutes

Giancarlo Suriano is the founder of Surianolii, a purveyor of Calabrian ingredients. He demonstrated his version of ceci e vongole during our visit, a quick one-pot dish of chickpeas and clams. Calabrian chilies are fruity and not too spicy; Fresno chilies are a good substitute, and even red pepper flakes will do in a pinch. Canned chickpeas are easy and work well, but for the best flavor, cook your own dried chickpeas (see p. XX) and use 3 cups cooked chickpeas plus 1 cup of cooking liquid. If you prefer mussels, they work well in place of clams; the cooking time remains the same. Whichever you use, be sure to discard any that do not open after cooking.

Tip

Don’t add the clams until the broth is boiling, then quickly cover the pot. Clams cook best when blasted with heat and steam, so keep the lid on until ready to stir.

Ingredients
  • ¼

    cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve

  • 3

    medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • 1

    medium Fresno chili, stemmed, seeded and chopped, or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 4

    inch sprig rosemary

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 2

    teaspoons tomato paste

  • 2

    15½-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained (see headnote)

  • 3

    pounds small hard-shell clams (1 to 1½ inches in diameter), such as littleneck or Manila, scrubbed

  • 1

    tablespoon lemon juice

  • Crusty bread, to serve

Step 1

In a large Dutch oven over medium, combine the oil, garlic, chili, rosemary and ¼ teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, until the garlic has softened and the mixture is fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the chickpeas and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Scatter the clams into the pot, cover and cook until most of the clams have opened, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring once about halfway through.

Step 2

Stir once again, then remove and discard the rosemary and any clams that have not opened. Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with additional oil and with crusty bread.

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