The Broken Scale · Good food. Plenty of personality.
Linguine With Clams
Linguine with littleneck clams, garlic butter, dry white wine, parsley, and lemon. The clam juices and a little starchy pasta water form the sauce.
- Prep
- 10 minutes
- Cook
- 20 minutes
- Total
- 30 minutes
- Serves
- 4 people
The full recipe
Linguine With Clams
Linguine and littleneck clams in a garlic-butter sauce with dry white wine, parsley, lemon, and a pinch of red pepper.
Ingredients
Kosher Salt for pasta water and to taste- 12 Oz. Linguine
- 4 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 4 Cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp Parsley chopped, divided
- 1 Pinch Crushed Red Pepper Flakes crushed
- 2 Dozen Littleneck Clams (about 2 lbs.) scrubbed
- ½ Cup White Wine dry
- 1 Large Lemon half juiced, half cut into wedges
- Ground Black Pepper freshly ground, to taste
- ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese grated, optional for serving
Equipment
1 Large Sauté Pan with Lid (For steaming clams and building the flavorful sauce.)
1 Large pot ( Essential for boiling the linguine to al dente perfection.)
1 Tongs (Helps toss and serve the pasta without breaking the clams.)
1 Garlic Press (Speeds up prep if you’re using lots of garlic.)
1 Measuring Cups (For measuring wine and reserved pasta water.)
1 Ladle (Handy for scooping reserved pasta water.)
1 Serving Bowl (Makes a gorgeous presentation, especially with shell-on clams.)
Instructions
- Scrub the clams under cold running water. Discard cracked shells and any open clams that do not close when tapped. Wash hands and clean surfaces after handling raw shellfish. Halve the lemon; juice one half and cut the other into wedges.
- Cook the linguine in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, following the package timing. Reserve ¾ cup cooking water before draining. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a wide pan with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Stir in garlic, 1 tablespoon parsley, and red pepper flakes for about 1 minute, without browning the garlic.
- Pour the wine into the pan and bring to a boil. Add the clams, cover tightly, and maintain steady steam. Steam for 4–9 minutes after steaming resumes, until the shells open fully. Discard any clams that remain closed.
- Add the drained linguine and the juice from half the lemon. Toss gently, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce coats the pasta; you may not need all of it. Taste before adding salt, as the clams are briny. Add black pepper to taste.
- Divide among four bowls. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon parsley and serve immediately with the lemon wedges and optional Parmesan.
Notes
Use fresh live littleneck clams from a reputable seafood seller and keep refrigerated until preparation. This recipe reserves ¾ cup pasta water; add only enough to loosen the sauce. Timing is an estimate and depends on the pasta and clam size.
