Looks fancy huh?  A dish that will impress your fanciest guests.

I was always intimidated by clams… how to clean it, how long to cook it, will they open up, etc. etc.  But once I gave it a shot, my mind was blown.  It is the easiest thing to cook and super quick!  And with all that clam juice you don’t need to add many spices.

This recipe asks for only clams, but I’ve made this with various shell fish, just add the other seafood along with the clams (just make sure they are similar sizes).

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb linguine
• 1 lb clams, cleaned **See notes
• 1/4 cup good quality olive oil
• 8-10 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup parsly, finely chopped
• 1 tbs butter (optional)

Instructions

• Cook the pasta according to package instructions, until a little under al dente, should be about 7 minutes.  Drain the pasta, saving 1 cup of pasta water.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and shallots (**see notes) and gently fry for about 1 minute, don’t let it turn brown.  Add the red pepper flakes and fry for another 30 seconds… DO NOT LET IT BURN!
• Add the clams along with the wine and cover with a tight lid.  Cook until all clams open up, about 5-7 minutes.  Discard any clams that doesn’t open.
• Add the pasta and half the parsley along with a splash of pasta water (add more if needed).  Toss well until everything is mixed.  Right before taking it off the heat, add the butter and the rest of the parsley.
• Toss well then transfer to a plate and drizzle with some more olive oil.

**Notes:

• To clean the clams, rinse them in cold water.  Then submerge them in a big bowl of cold water and a cup of flour for at least 1 hour.  The clams will open to eat the flour and clean themselves in the process.  Then just rinse them off, scrub if needed.
• Add the garlic and shallots while the oil is still cold, this way the they will infuse the oil without burning.