Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add salt and pasta;
If you use frozen clams, follow the package instructions and prepare the sauce;
If you use fresh clams, first prepare them as described below*. Put a large pan with its lid over high heat and pour in a little oil;
Add the clams: they will open and release their tasty liquid; it will take a few minutes. Move the pan to spread the heat evenly;
Remove the clams as soon as they open (even one at a time); they get chewy when overcooked;
Filter the clam cooking water (you may also use a coffee filter or a piece of cheese cloth) to get rid of any grains of sand;
In a clean pan, heat a little oil with the crushed garlic clove and add chili pepper flakes to taste. Simmer with white wine until it is reduced;
Add the filtered clam liquid and bring to a boil to thicken the sauce;
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the clams and the finely chopped parsley;
Drain the pasta but save a cup of pasta water;
Add pasta to the pan with the clams and toss until pasta is evenly coated; add a little pasta water if the sauce gets too thick;
Generously sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and serve hot.