The Chef: Sauteed Clams And Mussels Over Linguine

Many moons ago, the Little Black Dress and I wrote a cookbook while I was running the Washington, D.C. bureau for the newspaper company I worked for.  We always tried them out on some lucky (unlucky) couple or individual. And, if they didn’t die, we would name it after them. Here is one of our favorites.

BILLY AND THE DRESS SHARE A DISH

(SAUTED CLAMS AND MUSSELS OVER PASTA)

  I believe The Little Black Dress first had this at one of our favorite restaurants in Alaska when my former boss was up for a visit. My boss, who insisted everyone call him Billy, and The Dress both ordered this. And from then on, they were hooked. In fact, every time Billy came up, they’d sit together and devour this. I think the only debate would be the pasta – angel hair, linguini or fettuccini.

  Not to be outdone by any restaurant, plus the fact said restaurant went out of business, I set out to develop my own version of this gem. For those of you who love shellfish, this ranks up there as one of our favorites. For those allergic to shellfish, I am truly sorry. Really.

1 stick of butter

3 or 4 scallions/green onions

1 or 2 shallots

6 to 8 mushrooms

1 to 2 cups of white wine

1 cup of olive oil

3 pounds of littleneck clams

2 pounds of mussels

1 pound of pasta, angel hair, linguini or fettuccini

  The Dress insists I point out you need to clean the mussels and clams first. Most seafood places will have them cleaned, but you never know. For the clams, simply scrub them with a stiff brush. For the mussels, you want to make sure the “beard” is removed. It’s located on one side of the mussel and is a long black strand. Simply grab it and pull it off.

  I’ve found a rather wide and deep pot works best for this. I use a 12-inch diameter one that’s about four inches high.

  For the pasta, just cook it the normal way in a big pot with lots of water and salt.

  Melt the butter in the pot over low heat. Add the wine and olive oil.  When the butter melts, add the scallions, mushrooms and shallots. Sauté for a couple of minutes over high heat until the vegetables are soft.

  Turn down the heat and throw in the clams and mussels. Stir the shellfish with a big spoon and turn the heat back up to medium-high. Put the lid on the pot and just start shaking the pot back and forth. You don’t have to do this the entire time, but what you’re trying to do is make sure all the clams and mussels get heated up.

  If you don’t think there’s enough sauce, you can add a cup or two of water. Keep shaking the pot and every now and then, take the lid off and stir the clams and mussels around with a spoon to get them all coated with the sauce.

  This dish only takes a few minutes. You will know when it’s ready because almost all of the clams and mussels have opened up. If there are a couple that haven’t opened, just throw them away – don’t keep cooking just to get those last ones to open as it will burn the sauce.

  I usually use a pair of tongs to place the shells on top of the pasta.  I then spoon the sauce over the pasta and shellfish and sprinkle it all liberally with parmesan cheese.  You can also aadd parsley, more green onions or some red/orange peppers.

You’ll find some of the clams and mussels have fallen out of their shell. That’s okay, just scoop them up with a spoon from the sauce and add them to each plate.

  And while it might sound tacky, I always set a large bowl on the table for everyone to throw their shells into. The Dress, however, suggests giving each guest their own bowl.