Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Favorite Pasta Dish: Linguine With Clams

Reprinted with permission from Lucinda’s Rustic Italian Kitchen by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

Photograph by Quentin Bacon

This is my favorite pasta dish, so when I can get fresh small clams, I will often make it several days in a row. I tasted my favorite version in Positano, Italy, several years ago and it was a real revelation. It is notable for its omission of white wine, which allows for the subtle clam flavor to shine. I do love to serve it with wine though, a cool crisp bottle of white such as Vermentino or even rosés. If you get an early start, the main flavor technique here is to marinate your garlic in olive oil for as long as possible. It’s traditional to drizzle chile-infused oil over this dish just before serving; combine 1⁄4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes in a cruet, let it marinate for several hours and pass it around at the table.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, 2 smashed and peeled, 2 thinly sliced
1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 dozen littleneck clams or 4 dozen cockles
1 tablespoon cornmeal or flour
1 pound linguine pasta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Up to 8 hours in advance but as little as 1, place the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a large pasta serving bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

To clean the clams, rinse them and place in large bowl with cold water and the cornmeal or flour. The live clams open to ingest the cornmeal, thereby releasing any remaining sand. Let soak 10 minutes. Scrub each clam clean under cold running water to remove remaining, softened mud from the shell and return to soak in fresh cold water. If necessary, repeat the scrubbing process a couple times until the clams are completely clean and soaking water is free of sand. Drain and chill until ready to cook.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the boiling water, add the linguine and cook until tender but still firm. Set the timer for 2 minutes less than the package instructions specify and taste for oneness.

Meanwhile, in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, bring 1⁄4 cup of water to a boil. Add the cleaned clams, cover immediately and steam until the clams are open, 3 to 5 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open.

Place the cooked clams with the shells into the marinated olive oil. Strain the cooked clam liquid into the bowl. Add pasta and parsley and toss. Serve immediately with a drizzle of spicy olive oil on top.

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