This is a stupidly clammy sauce, so full of clams, it should really be called clams with pasta. It's the monster truck rally of clam sauces. The clams in the shell are beautiful and whole and delicious, but the sauce is riddled with plump morsels of chopped clams, so every bite of pasta is filled with clams, not just the forkfuls that are accompanied by a whole clam from the shell. And the sauce is rich with simmered garlic, bright with white wine and vibrant with red pepper flakes and parsley. More red pepper flakes are welcome, either in the sauce itself, or passed at the table for those who like it hotter.
3 pounds littleneck clams
2 tablespoons cornmeal
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1 pound dried fettuccine or linguine
1 cup dry white wine
1 ½ cups chicken broth or stock (the richer the better)
1 pound chopped fresh clams
½ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more to garnish
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Scrub the clams. Fill a very large bowl full of cold water, and add a generous tablespoon of salt and the cornmeal. Soak the clams in the water at room temperature for one hour, or overnight in the refrigerator. Rinse them well in a colander under cold running water. Discard any that are open.