Linguine with White Clam Sauce

1. Boil Water

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, using just enough water to cover the pasta by 1-2 inches. This will save you some time waiting for the water to boil and will also ensure that you have plenty of starch in the pasta water to help hold your emulsion. Add about two teaspoons of salt per quart of water when you're ready to cook the pasta. Turn the heat to low and keep a lid on the pot.

2. Sweat Aromatics

In a large pan, melt the butter, then sauté the garlic and shallot with a pinch of salt until they soften without browning.

3. Cook Clams

Turn up the heat to medium, then add the clams and wine. Cover the pan and wait for the clams to open up. Remove the clams from the pan individually once they open. Discard any that won't open. Remove the clams from their shells, leaving several whole for presentation. Hold them on a plate until you're ready to finish the dish.

4. Add Cream

Mix in the Calabrian chili, heavy cream and lemon zest, letting the sauce simmer for a few minutes, reducing by about 25%, or until the cream thickens.

5. Cook Pasta

Bring the water back to a boil, toss in the pasta and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute less than the package suggests for al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.

6. Sauce Pasta

Add the pasta to the pan with 1/4 cup of pasta water. Cook over medium heat to reduce the sauce to the correct consistency and finish cooking the pasta. The sauce should be thick enough to cling to each piece of pasta while not so thick that the noodles are clumping tightly together. Shellfish based pasta sauces are typically a bit thinner in consistency to account for the added salt from the seafood. You could combat this by not adding salt to your pasta water, but make sure to taste and adjust the seasoning of the sauce as you cook.

7. Finishing Ingredients

At this point, add back the clams and herbs to heat through. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt if needed. Plate and serve.