Linguine with Clams

Time: 10 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking, 35 minutes total

Serves: 2 adults and one child

Linguine with clams, white wine, fresh garlic, lemon, and parsley– Francis Lam’s One is a nod to a childhood dish his parents used to make when family or friends came for dinner. It’s a  simple and loose recipe that can be adjusted based on desire– add more wine and butter to make it more saucy, use additional clams for extra dinner guests, add herbs, or not depending on what you have on hand. 

Francis adds a variation to the recipe including pork, onions, and soy sauce that will have you rethinking the traditional version. This staple recipe is a true shapeshifter, but delicious every time.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz dried linguine

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 5 cloves garlic, sliced

• ½ yellow onion, chopped (optional)

• ¼ cup ground pork (optional)

• 1 tsp. soy sauce (optional)

• ¼ tsp. sugar (optional)

• ¾  cup dry white wine

• 12-18 medium-size littleneck or cherrystone clams, soaked and cleaned well

• 1 lemon, juiced

• 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

• 2 Tbsp. butter

 DIRECTIONS

1. Cook linguine in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water for 8 minutes. Remove, drain, and spread out on a platter or sheet pan to cool. This is under al dente, because you’ll be cooking in the clam and white wine sauce later on.

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium sized deep skillet or pot. Add garlic and optional onion to pan and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. If using only garlic, cook until aromatic. You want the garlic to be fresh versus browned. This should take about a minute.

3. Add the pork if using, and saute until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add soy sauce and sugar. Add cleaned clams and white wine to the pot. Turn heat up to high, and cover with a lid. Check the clams after 2 or 3 minutes, pulling out clams as they open to a large bowl sitting on the stove to keep warm. Continue cooking until every clam is just-opened, about 10 minutes. (This keeps the clams tender and juicy.)

4. Once all clams have been removed, add lemon juice, parsley, butter, and pasta to the pot. Cook an additional 3 minutes, until the pasta is al dente, adding splashes of the pasta water to keep the pan loose and saucy. Taste and season with salt, if necessary. Return the clams to the pot and enjoy with loved ones.