Easy dinner recipes: 25-minute spaghetti with sea urchin and clams

When the weather heats up, it’s the perfect time to enjoy a light, seafood pasta and a glass of cool white wine out on the patio. But you don’t want to spend all night slaving in a hot kitchen preparing dinner.

We’ve got a quick and easy recipe from the L.A. Times test kitchen for a simple spaghetti with clams and sea urchin. Creamy sea urchin roe is mixed into a white wine sauce with clams and spaghetti. It’s a satisfying taste of the ocean that comes together in less than 30 minutes.

SPAGHETTI WITH CLAMS AND SEA URCHIN

Total time: 25 minutes | Serves 6

Salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

Dash crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 pound spaghetti

1 cup white wine

2 pounds small clams in shell (Manila type)

2 (2-ounce) trays sea urchins

Italian parsley, leaves only, left whole

Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Taste a bit of sea urchin. If it seems bitter, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook until the garlic is soft but not yet golden, 2 to 3 minutes. When the garlic has softened, add the white wine to the skillet and raise the heat to high. Cook until the wine has reduced by about half, 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 2: Add the clams and 1 1/2 trays of sea urchins, reserving the best for garnish. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until the clams are all open, about 5 minutes.

Step 3: While the sauce is cooking, add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Cook until it is just short of al dente, soft but with a thin thread of crunch in the center, about 7 minutes.

Step 4: When the clams have opened, remove the skillet from the heat and stir to break up as much of the sea urchins as possible. They should blend into the sauce.

Step 5: When the spaghetti is done, drain it, reserving one-half cup of the cooking water. Add the spaghetti and the reserved cooking water to the sauce and place it over high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce has slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Step 6: Divide among 6 heated pasta bowls and garnish with the reserved sea urchin and several leaves of parsley. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 577 calories; 45 grams protein; 64 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 256 mg. cholesterol; 258 mg. sodium.