Linguine and clams

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound dried linguine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• About 7 cloves garlic, minced
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 cup crisp, dry white wine, doesn’t have to be fancy
• 3 1/2 to 4 pounds manila (my first choice), cherrystone, or little neck clams
• 3 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon

Directions

Soak clams for 20 minutes in water if they were not pre-cleaned.

Cook linguine

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook linguine tender but not soft, about 1 minute less than fully done. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta.

Cook clams

Drizzle oil in empty pot and add garlic, pepper flakes, and kosher salt. Cook on medium until the garlic begins to sizzle and just barely browns. Add wine and half of reserved pasta water and turn heat up to high. Strain clams and add, and cover pot to steam them open. Manila clams take 3 or so minutes to steam open; cherrystone and/or little neck can take up to 5 to 7 minutes.

Finish

Scoop cooked clams into a large bowl with a slotted spoon, discarding any that don’t haven’t opened. Simmer the cooking liquid in the pot until it has reduced slightly; you want a little less than cup.

Add butter and drained linguine and half of parsley. Cook them together for 1 minute, tossing frequently, until linguine is well-coated and only a little liquid remains at the bottom.

If needed, use some or all of remaining pasta water to keep pasta loose. Add clams (and any liquid that has collected in the bowl) to the pot and toss to combine.