Fregola with mussels, clams and chickpeas
- Energy Kcal 575
- Carbohydrates g 73.4
- of which sugars g 6.5
- Protein g 35.3
- Fats g 15.6
- of which saturated fat g 2.17
- Fiber g 13.7
- Cholesterol mg 131
- Sodium mg 1790
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 45 min
- Cook time: 2 h
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Average
PRESENTATION
If you’re looking to shake things up in the kitchen, Sardinian fregola could be your new go-to. This unique pasta, made from semolina and rolled into small balls, gets toasted for a golden color and a nutty flavor that's truly its own. In Sardinia, locals often make a Sardinian fregola recipe with mussels, clams, and chickpeas. Seriously good combo. This mix isn’t random—it's a beloved island pairing, bringing an intense aroma.
Thing is, fregola soaks up all the rich seafood juices, while the tender chickpeas add texture, making each bite both moist and super satisfying. The pasta’s chewy texture, absorbing the briny broth from the mussels and clams, delivers a taste that’s somewhere between risotto and pasta but with that distinct Sardinian twist.
In this mussels and clams pasta, you can see how Sardinians love blending land and sea. A lot of care goes into cleaning the seafood—gotta have the freshest flavor possible—making a big difference in taste. This chickpea seafood dish is typically served as a primo piatto, kicking off a meal in style. Not too fussy. You might find variations like fregola ai frutti di mare, with more shellfish, but sticking to chickpeas keeps it simple yet incredibly flavorful. And listen, the way the toasty fregola, sweet clams, and tender mussels come together? Hard to beat.
If you’re into Sardinian cuisine recipes or just wanna try a traditional Italian seafood pasta that's a bit different from the usual, this dish offers something special without fuss. A bowl of this—with its intense aroma and chewy pasta pearls—is sure to make your meal memorable. And look, it's not complicated, just delicious.
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- INGREDIENTS
- Fregola pasta 9 oz (250 g)
- Mussels 2.2 lbs (1 kg)
- Clams 2.2 lbs (1 kg)
- Dried chickpeas ¾ cup (150 g)
- Water 8 glasses (2 l) - approximately
- Celery ½ rib
- Shallot 1
- Tomato purée 1.5 oz (40 g)
- Parsley 4 tufts
- Fresh chili pepper 1
- Garlic 1 clove
- Coarse salt 3 tsp (15 g)
- Fine salt to taste
- White pepper to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
How to prepare Fregola with mussels, clams and chickpeas
To prepare fregola with mussels, clams, and chickpeas, you should have rehydrated the chickpeas for at least 12 hours (or an entire night) in a bowl filled with water 1. Then focus on the shellfish, starting with the clams. Soak them in cold water 2 and add coarse salt to purge them 3. Move the clams with your hands against each other so they release as much sand as possible, and leave them to soak for 1-2 hours. During this time, change the water and coarse salt and repeat the operation until the water in the bowl is completely clear and clean (to shorten the time, you can also rinse the clams under running water and tap them on a wooden cutting board with the cut facing down: if the clam is clean, it can be cooked; if sand comes out, the clam should be discarded).
Then move on to the mussels (you can consult the cooking school sheet: How to Clean and Open Mussels to follow the step-by-step procedure). Wash the mussels under running water, then with the back of a knife, remove all encrustations and barnacles 4 (parasites, white or gray in color, that form on the shell) and, with a vigorous movement, manually detach the beard, or byssus, that protrudes from the shells 5. Always under fresh running water and using a steel wool pad (or a stiff brush), scrub the mussels vigorously to remove any impurities 6.
Now focus on the mince that will be used to cook the mussels and clams: finely chop the parsley bunches 7 previously washed under running water, then also chop the garlic and fresh chili pepper 8. Then in a large pan, pour the mince, add a drizzle of oil 9, and sauté for a few seconds.
Add the mussels and clams (previously rinsed to remove the salinity of the saltwater) 10, wet them with 3 ladles of water 11, and cover them with a lid 12. Cook until the shells are completely open.
When the shells are open, turn off the heat and strain the shellfish liquid 13, to collect it in a pot you have previously filled with about 2 liters of water. Turn on the low heat under the pot and bring the broth to a boil. Meanwhile, let the shellfish cool slightly, then remove the shells and collect the fruits in a small bowl 14. Then proceed to clean and finely chop the shallot 15.
Wash and peel the half stalk of celery with a peeler or knife, then finely chop it 16. In a large and deep pan, pour a drizzle of oil, add the fine mince of shallot and celery 17, and sauté for 1 minute. Then drain the chickpeas that will be rehydrated after the hours of soaking 18.
Add the chickpeas to the pan with the sauté 19, then wet them with the broth obtained with the shellfish cooking water until they are covered 20. Then add the tomato puree 21, stir and cook everything over low heat for at least 1 hour and 40 minutes, adding broth from time to time if they tend to dry out too much.
After the indicated time, with the heat still on, take two tablespoons of chickpeas from the pan 22, place them on a plate and mash them with a fork 23 to obtain a puree. Then pour the resulting puree into the pan with the rest of the cooking chickpeas 24 and thicken. Stir and cook for a few more minutes.
Add also the fregola to the chickpeas 25, stir and cook over low heat gradually adding a few ladles of broth. Then also pour in the mussels and clams that you had shelled 26, cook for another 4-5 minutes, until the preparation has reached the consistency of a thick soup. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, then turn off the heat, and your fregola with mussels, clams, and chickpeas will be ready to be served 27!