Created on 3/10/2023
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal (or 1 tablespoon Morton kosher salt, plus more)
- 12 Garlic Cloves (divided)
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil (plus 1/4 cup, plus more for serving)
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Zest (finely grated)
- 2 Oil-Packed Anchovy Fillets (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (crushed, plus more for serving)
- ⅓ cup Dry White Wine
- 2 pounds Cockles (or littleneck clams, about 24, about 32, scrubbed)
- 12 ounces Spaghetti (or linguine)
- ½ cup Parsley (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
Instructions:
Step One: Bring 2 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal salt and 10 cups water to a boil in a large pot
Step Two: Using a mandoline if you have one (if not, use a really sharp knife), very thinly slice remaining 9 garlic cloves. Heat ¼ cup oil in Dutch oven over medium. Cook garlic, stirring often, until golden around the edges, about 3 minutes. Add anchovies, if using, and ½ tsp. red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until garlic is golden all over and anchovies are dissolved. Quickly stir in wine and simmer until only a couple of tablespoons of liquid are left in pot. Add clams and toss to combine. Cover and cook until clams are open, 5–7 minutes (about 4 minutes for cockles). Uncover pot and transfer clams to a medium bowl, leaving liquid in pot. If any clams are still closed, cover pot again and cook a few minutes longer, then transfer to bowl with others (discard any that have not opened at this point). Tent clams with foil
Step Three: Cook pasta in boiling water 5 minutes. Using a ladle or heatproof measuring cup, scoop out about 2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Using tongs, transfer pasta to pot with clam liquid. Add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Cook, tossing constantly and adding more pasta cooking liquid a splash at a time if needed, until pasta is al dente and sauce is glossy and thick enough to cling to noodles, about 5 minutes
Step Four: Remove from heat. Add parsley and butter and toss until butter is melted. Give pasta a taste; you probably won’t need additional salt, but you can add some if you’d like. Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with reserved clams, red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of oil.