My Fresh Linguini and Clams

This is a classic, perfect weekday meal or a fun dinner party do. Super easy & foolproof.

When I first began cooking for myself Clam Linguini was a go-to. Canned clams, a bottle of clam juice, half a head of garlic and probably dried parsley, a splash of white wine and pasta, boom - I had a great dinner.

Years as a chef have elevated my current version of this still-simple dish. I have always made fresh pasta, learned from my grandmother & I still make it now. A couple of years ago I got the family pasta lessons from a Roman chef on a beautiful vacation to Civita di Bagnoregio all made by hand & I love that recipe, although I usually cheat and use the processor & pasta roller.

I get a pound of clams per person and clean them when I get home. Scrub them clean under cold water, discard any that are open or have chips big enough to expose the interior. Soak them in seawater or 2 tablespoons of salt whisked to dissolve into a quart of cold water (double that as needed to cover them) on the counter in a cool spot for about an hour. Carefully lift them out so as not to stir up the sand at the bottom and rinse them. The smaller the clams are, the more tender they are, so leave the small ones whole in their shells in a colander over a bowl in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook; larger clams I shuck & chop.

When you're ready to cook, in a separate pot, make your pasta. For the clams I mince or slice a couple of cloves of garlic per person and rinse & mince fresh Italian parsley to taste. In a big pot with lots of good olive oil, I saute the garlic for just 1 minute, add the parsley, a fat pinch of red pepper flakes per person, clams, and a good splash of white vermouth or wine per person, cover & cook 3 minutes, check that the clams have opened, add the pasta, cook another minute or so, then plate it & top with a bit more parsley & Aleppo pepper.

With love,

Lynette La Mere

Founding Executive Chef & Owner

my son, Luc, digging clams, hard work!

fresh pasta

this giant walnut cutting board is about a third of my kitchen island, best thing I ever did!

they love their soak!

Photos by Lucas Oliver Oswald