linguine with lemongrass, clams and mustard greens
This riff on classic linguine with clam sauce is made punchier with spicy baby mustard greens and bright lemongrass. Then you sprinkle the whole thing with a generous smattering of buttery breadcrumbs. Any dry white wine will do, but mineral and almost-salty Txakoli is like this pasta’s soulmate. Whatever you choose, make sure you like it because there will be plenty leftover to drink.
yield 4-6 servings
riffing
replace half the parsley with cilantro, mint and/or thai basil
use lime instead of lemon
shrimp can take the place of clams
bread crumb topping
3 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
1 cup challah bread processed into fine crumbs (or 1 cup panko)
2 T olive oil or butter
1 lemon, zested (save juice for pasta)
pasta
1 lb linguine, preferably with rough/bronze-cut surface
4 C baby mustard greens or other baby greens like kale or tatsoi
1/4 cup olive oil
9 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 3-inch pieces of lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, finely chopped
2 anchovy fillets (or 1 ts fish sauce)
1/2 - 1 ts red pepper flake
1/2 cup dry white wine
2-3 lbs littleneck clams or cockles, scrubbed
3 T unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup loosely packed Italian parsley leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
lemon wedges, for serving
recipe prep
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter to a dutch oven or heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs or panko and garlic, stirring often, until the bread is crispy and golden (about 7 minutes). Transfer breadcrumbs to a bowl, add lemon zest and salt to taste. Reserve for serving and wipe out dutch oven.
Bring water to a boil in a large pot, seasoned with 2 tablespoons diamond crystal kosher salt (1 tablespoon if Morton’s).
To the dutch oven, add mustard greens, 1/4 cup water and a pinch of salt. Saute until mostly softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and hold for later.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat and add garlic and lemongrass. Cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes or until garlic just starts to turn golden. Add red pepper flakes and anchovies and stir until anchovies dissolve. Add wine and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook down until there are only a few tablespoons left.
Add clams and toss to combine (heat still at medium). Cover pot and cook 5-7 minutes (3-4 for cockles) until clams have opened. Uncover pot and transfer clams to a bowl. If any havent opened, you can re-cover the pot and cook an additional 2 minutes - if they haven’t opened then, discard the closed clams. Remove 1/2 the shells and discard.
Cook pasta in boiling water for 5 minutes. Reserve 2 cups pasta water. Transfer pasta to the dutch oven with all the clammy business and add 1 cup pasta water. Bring dutch oven to a boil and cook, tossing often, until pasta is al dente and sauce is thick and glossy enough to stick to the noodles, about 5 minutes (add additional pasta water a splash at a time as needed to loosen things).
Remove from heat and add parsley, lemon juice, butter, mustard greens and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs. Toss until butter is melted. Add clams and toss to combine. Serve topped with remaining breadcrumbs, lemon wedges and the rest of that wine.
use your parsley stems Finely chop your parsley stems and add them at the same time as the lemongrass!
