Linguine alle Vongole

As a transplant from the west side of the state, I am often overwhelmed by a strong craving for ocean air and fresh seafood. This past weekend, I made an escape to the coast to satisfy such a hankering. At Klipsan Beach, on the Long Beach Peninsula, we stay in a beloved little cabin full of family history. It's a place to slow down, listen to the waves, and for me, cook seafood feasts. On the north end of the peninsula, in a town appropriately named Oysterville, there is an amazing shellfish market that is always a required stop. This take on classic clam linguine, served with a traditional Italian breadcrumb gremolata, is a favorite beach cabin dinner.

Ingredients:

For the Gremolata:

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup chopped parsley

Zest of one lemon, save juice for later

Salt

For the linguine:

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup sliced shallot

1 cup sliced fennel bulb and stalks

½ teaspoon dried thyme

4 garlic cloves, sliced

½ teaspoon crushed chili flake

½ cup dry white wine

2-4 pounds manila or little neck clams

1 pound dry linguine

Chopped parsley and fennel fronds

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Wash clams and soak in a bowl of water for at least 30 minutes while you prep all your other ingredients.

Prepare a large pot with salted water and set over medium heat. To make gremolata, place a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add panko crumbs to dry pan and toast for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently. When panko starts turning golden add the olive oil and parsley, and toast until crumbs are a rich golden brown. Take off heat, mix in lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Wipe out pan, add oil, and return to medium heat. Sauté fennel, shallot, and thyme for 6 to 8 minutes until soft. Add garlic, crushed red pepper, and a pinch of salt, sauté for another 2 minutes. Add wine, and simmer until reduced by half. Drain clams and add them to the pot, stir and cover with lid. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, shaking pan occasionally as clams open. Transfer open clams to a warm covered bowl. If any clams are still not open, cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes of so. Transfer remaining open clams to a covered bowl and keep warm near the stovetop. Toss any clams that do not open.

While clams are cooking, raise the heat on a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Add linguine and cook for 5 minutes. Use a heat-proof measuring cup to reserve 2 cups of the pasta water. Drain, then add pasta to the pan with clam cooking liquid. Add one cup of the pasta water and raise heat to high. Cook pasta, stirring frequently as the liquid gets absorbed until pasta is al dente and sauce is thick and clinging to pasta, 3 to 5 minutes. Add more pasta water if needed, a splash at a time. When done take off heat, stir in butter with chopped parsley and fennel fronds. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice with ¼ cup of the gremolata and stir well to thicken the sauce. Add black pepper and taste for seasoning. Most likely, you will not need to add more salt.

Serve pasta in wide bowls or plates, with clams arranged on top. Sprinkle gremolata over top, with a bowl of more on the table for passing. Don't forget a big discard bowl on the table for empty clamshells.

Notes:

When cleaning clams, scrub shells of any debris. Add a pinch of cornmeal to the soaking water to encourage the clams to purge any sand. Clams can also soak in the fridge overnight to give more time to release the sand.

The fennel is divided into three parts for this dish. The white bulb and the thick green stalks are sliced and cooked together with the shallots. The fronds are the lacy leaf ends of the stalks, which look like fresh dill. The fronds are chopped with parsley to finish the dish.

Enjoy!