Linguini & Clams Recipe

Purge and clean clams

Place clams in a large bowl with cold salted water (about 1 tbsp salt per 4 cups water) for 20 minutes to purge sand. Rinse clams under cold running water, scrub shells with a brush and discard any open clams that do not close when tapped.

Make miso-seafood broth

In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup dry white wine and 1 cup water and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Whisk in 1 tablespoon white miso until dissolved. Add 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce or seafood seasoning if using, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning — broth should be savory with a mild miso presence but not overly salty. Keep warm over the lowest heat setting.

Steam clams

In a large wide skillet or sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and warm over medium-high heat. Add the cleaned clams in a single layer, pour 1/2 cup of the warm miso-seafood broth over them, cover and steam for 4–6 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until clams open. Remove clams with tongs as they open and transfer to a bowl, reserving the cooking liquid in the pan. Discard any clams that remain tightly closed after 6 minutes. Strain the reserved cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into the warm miso broth to capture any grit; keep warm.

Prepare pasta water

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (use about 1 tablespoon kosher salt per 4 quarts). Fresh linguini cooks quickly — have the pot ready so you can drop it during the sauce step.

Cook aromatics and tomatoes

In the same large sauté pan used for steaming clams, add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced garlic and minced shallot and cook, stirring, until fragrant and just beginning to color, about 1–2 minutes (do not burn the garlic). Add the halved pomodorini and 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes and cook until tomatoes soften and begin to release juices, about 3–4 minutes.

Finish sauce with broth

Pour the warm miso-seafood broth (from clams) into the pan with tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer. Allow the sauce to reduce slightly for 2–3 minutes so flavors concentrate. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper if needed. If sauce seems too intense, add up to 1/4 cup reserved pasta water later to balance.

Cook fresh linguini

Drop the fresh linguini into the boiling pasta water and cook until al dente, 2–3 minutes depending on thickness. Reserve 3/4 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta quickly (do not rinse).

Toss pasta with sauce and clams

Add the drained linguini directly into the simmering sauce. Toss or use tongs to coat the pasta, adding small splashes of reserved pasta water as needed to create a silky emulsion (about 2–4 tablespoons). Add the steamed clams (in shells) back to the pan and gently toss to combine and warm through for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter for gloss and richness.

Finish and serve

Remove the pan from heat. Add the juice and a pinch of zest from 1 lemon, the chopped parsley, and 2 tablespoons grated Pecorino or Parmigiano if using. Toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust acidity, salt or heat. Divide among 4 shallow bowls, ensuring an even distribution of clams. Garnish with extra parsley, a light drizzle of olive oil and an additional pinch of chili flakes if desired. Serve immediately.