Linguine con le Vongolé (Linguine with Clams)

Last Updated September 22, 2024

You Will Need:

1. A Decent Chef Knife
2. 12 inch Cast Iron Skillet or Sauté Pan
3. A Long Handled Wooden Spoon
4. Something to Boil and Drain Pasta In

Ingredients

1. 1lb (8-10) fresh, live Little Neck clams, purged of sand. Couple notes on these guys:
   
   When you buy fresh clams, make sure that they’re cold and shut tight.  Any clams that are open just a tiny bit should close up after tapping firmly on them a few times.  Any clams that don’t shut upon being tapped or are gaping wide open are dead… don’t buy them!
   
   In order to purge the clams of sand, soak them for 30 minutes, refrigerated, in cold water, with about 2-3 TBSP of kosher salt.  You want the water to be cold and salty enough to trick the clams into thinking that they’re in the ocean.  You’ll be surprised how much sand is in the bottom of the bowl.  Repeat this process in 30 minute intervals, until no more sand is in the bottom of the bowl.  This will take 1-3 cycles.
   
2. 1 6.5oz can chopped clams (and their juice)
3. 1 6.5 oz can minced clams (and their juice)
4.  3-4 tablespoons olive oil – enough to coat the bottom of the pan you’re using
5. 3 Tablespoons butter (divided 1:2)
6. 4-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
7.   1 small shallot, finely diced
8.   1.5 – 2 tsp red pepper flakes, or 2 tsp Calabrian chile peppers
9. Umami Bomb: Around 1 Tablespoon Each of Three or More of the Following, smushed together in a small bowl to make a homogenous paste:
   
   Paste of Roasted Garlic
   Soy Sauce
   Miso Paste
   Anchovy Paste
   
10.   3/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth
11.  Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
12.   Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for serving)
13.  1 lb linguine cooked according to package directions
14. Garnish
    
    1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
    
    1 teaspoon freshly picked purple nettle flowers (or any other mostly flavorless, pink thing – just for looks!)

Instructions

1. Heat water in a heavy stockpot for pasta and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer until you are ready to cook your pasta
   
   Don’t  add salt  or oil to your pasta water.  Clams are salty enough on their own.  Adding salt will make your final product taste like a salt-lick.  Oil will prevent the starch from sticking to your sauce and there’s enough oil in the sauce already.  To keep pasta from sticking together, use a good quality linguine and stir every few minutes until cooked.
   
2. Add olive oil and butter, along with shallots, garlic, and red-pepper flakes to a cold pan.
3. Turn on heat to low or medium low and slowly bring to a gentle sizzle, being sure not to brown contents of the pan.
4. Add wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, and juice from canned clams (but not the clams themselves; reserve those) and bring to a brisk simmer. 
5. Add your pasta to your boiling water.  If you time this right, your pasta should be ready by the time you hit step 8
6. Add fresh clams.  Reduce heat to medium and cover.  Continue to cook until all clams have popped open and are singing opera to you, 5-7 minutes
   
   Many recipes commonly call for discarding clams that don’t open.  These clams are in fact likely the strongest and tastiest, but some clams are very stubborn.  It’s likely that your clams won’t all open at the same time, so check occasionally, removing the opened ones and reserving them aside while waiting for the others to open – that way, the first ones to open won’t be reduced to pencil erasers!
   
7.  Once all the clams are open, return them to the pan with the sauce. Add canned clams and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
8. Remove pasta from boiling water with tongs and add directly to the pot with the clams and sauce.  Stir well to combine.  If the pan looks dry, and a few TBSP of pasta water to the pan.
9. Add remaining two TBSP butter and stir until melted.  Continue to cook pasta in clam sauce until al-dente.
10. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with Parmesan cheese and a crusty hunk of bread.