I’ve made Mark’s linguine in clams — steamed or sauteed — for as long as I can remember because it’s such a simple recipe and it’s one of my favorite dishes. Even though it’s delicious year-round, it truly reminds me of summer. When I was working in Long Island, Newsday ran a “where to go clamming” piece, and I love the idea of driving to that secret-ish seaside spot with a bucket, rake, and a plunger and getting some as fresh as possible. Usually, though, I’m happy enough to go to my local fishmonger to pick up four dozen for two of us. As Mark suggests, we focus on the clams more than the pasta (though the pasta is great, too).
I usually ask the fish guy when they’ve arrived and, because my shop gets them from the clammer every day, when they were harvested. At home, I’ll put them in a bowl layered with a wet paper towel until we’re ready to cook them that night. Then I’ll scrub them to rid them of sand. I’m a fan of the littlenecks, but middlenecks and cherrystones are great, too. I’ve been seeing more razor clams from Long Island but prefer small, sweet ones.
Where’s the pepper in this photo? I opted out since there’s plenty of red pepper flakes in there.
PrintSteamed Clams with Pasta
Prevent your screen from going dark
Makes 2 servings 1x
Time 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 24 to 48 littleneck clams (the amount depends on the size and your budget, or luck; in any case, more is better), scrubbed
- Salt (probably not much) and pepper to taste
- 12 ounces long pasta, like spaghetti or linguine
- 1/4 cup olive oil, or more
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 2 cloves sliced garlic, or to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Steam the clams in a covered pot (a glass top is very nice, voyeuristically speaking). You don’t need any liquid other than what the clams will release. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
- After the clams open — it could take as little as 10 minutes — uncover and cool. Take the meat out and strain and reserve the liquid; make sure to leave any sand behind. Chop the clams if they’re big.
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. Put 1/4 cup olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is warm, add the red pepper flakes and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the clams and continue to cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add about 1/2 cup of the reserved clam liquid.
- Drain the pasta when it’s nearly done and stir it into the clams. Cook, stirring, until the pasta is tender and the mixture is saucy. Add more clam-cooking liquid (or hot water or white wine), if necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a little more oil if you like. Garnish, and serve.
— Recipe from How To Cook Everything: Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition