No-Shell Linguine & Clams

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Ingredients

  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1 medium or 2 small shallots
  • 1 medium lemon
  • 1/4 medium bunch fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 (10-ounce) or 3 (6.5-ounce) cans chopped clams in juice
  • 8 ounces dried linguine pasta
  • 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving

Preparation

  1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.
  2. Thinly slice 5 garlic cloves (about 2 tablespoons) and finely chop 1 medium or 2 small shallots (about 1/4 cup), and place both in the same small bowl. Halve 1 medium lemon; reserve one half and cut the remaining half into wedges for garnish. Pick the leaves from 1/4 medium bunch fresh parsley until you have 1/4 cup, then coarsely chop the leaves (chop more for garnish if desired).
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch frying pan over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and shallot and cook until fragrant and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute more.
  4. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add 1 cup dry white wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by half and it smells sweet and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, open 2 (10-ounce) or 3 (6.5-ounce) cans chopped clams but do not drain.
  5. Using the lid of the can as a strainer or pouring through a strainer, pour the clam juice from the cans into the pan. Reserve the clams for later. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate the oil into the broth fully. Bring to a strong simmer but not to a boil, adjusting the heat as needed. Reduce the heat to maintain a bare simmer while you cook the pasta.
  6. Add 8 ounces dried linguine pasta to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes less than package directions for al dente, about 7 minutes.
  7. Using tongs, transfer the linguine directly into the pan of clam broth (it will look quite soupy). Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and the 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing the pasta often, for 4 minutes. If the pan is dry, add the pasta water a tablespoon at a time as needed. Add the reserved clams and gently toss until fully combined and the clams are just warmed through (do not overcook), about 2 minutes more.
  8. Remove the pan from the heat. Squeeze the juice from the 1/2 lemon over the pasta. Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and the parsley. Stir and toss vigorously until the butter is melted and the parsley is evenly distributed. Serve with more chopped parsley, grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and the lemon wedges.

Notes

  • Aside from the canned clams, the other key to this dish is cooking your linguine no longer than 7 minutes, or 2 to 5 minutes less than what the package instructs. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 7 minutes, then add the noodles to your delicious clam sauce. The linguine will swell with the clam broth so that the sauce permeates every bite. Finishing the linguine in the clam broth itself is imperative to having a good, no-shell linguine and clams.
  • A 12-inch sauté pan is preferred, so that you may fit enough broth and pasta into one pan. 
  • Do not add your chopped clams until the final minute or two of cooking. The canned clams, when cooked further than that, will turn rubbery and unpleasant. 
  • More olive oil, I say. Adding 1/4 cup of olive oil adds a nice layer of richness to this dish, as well, which is my go-to move for most pasta sauces.

Source: The Kitchn Danny Palumbo – No-Shell Linguine & Clams