This is a traditional first course that my family usually cooked in the occasion of Christmas Eve and that is typical of Campania (in the southern part of Italy). It is a delicious dish that can be prepared with or without fresh tomatoes. This video describes the recipe with tomatoes that is what I prefer. You can prepare the sauce with tomatoes sauce or better with fresh tomatoes as shown in the video. The better type of clams to use are the genuine clams. Spaghetti are the ideal type of pasta for this Italian recipes and for cook them never use oil in the water. The use of parsley gives a spicy taste to the dish! Buon Appetito!