Begin by soaking and cleaning the clams: Give them a really good rinse and place in a large pot. Cover with ice cold water and add a few tablespoons of coarse kosher salt or coarse sea salt. I also like to add a handful of cornmeal. This helps agitate the clams and makes them purge some of the sand and dirt inside the shells. Allow to sit for 45 min to an hour. Rinse again, strain and keep refrigerated (preferably on a bag of ice) until ready to cook. Toss any cracked or damaged clams before cooking.
Dice yellow onion and finely chop garlic. Chop parsley for serving and set aside. Heat a large Dutch oven or other large pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add olive oil and then diced onion along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute 4 to 5 minutes, until onion begins to be fragrant and is starting to soften. Add finely chopped garlic and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add crushed red pepper flakes and stir for 30 to 45 seconds, until fragrant.
Pour in broth, diced tomato, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add in clams. Cover tightly and allow to steam for 5 to 10 minutes, checking after 4 minutes and then every 2 minutes until most (there are usually a few that don't open) are opened. Stir in wine, heavy cream (if using), taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Top with chopped parsley and serve immediately with crusty sourdough or GF baguette. ENJOY!
This nutritional information refers to each serving of the entire recipe and not just the products used as ingredients.