Spaghetti aux palourdes

03 — Method

1. Soak the 2 kg (4.4 lb) of clams in a large bowl of cold water salted like seawater (30 g per liter) for at least 2 hours to purge the sand, stirring a few times.
2. Rinse well and discard any open clams that don’t close when pressed — ABSOLUTELY essential for safety.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water (8 g per liter) to a rolling boil. Remove the germ from the 6 garlic cloves and crush them. Crumble the dried chili.
4. Very finely chop the parsley, tender stems included. Grate the lemon zest.
5. Heat 80 ml (⅓ cup) of olive oil in the very large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili and cook 2 minutes, stirring, until the garlic is golden but not burned.
6. Add the clams and immediately the white wine. Cover tightly and cook over high heat for 5 minutes, shaking the pan halfway.
7. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti AL DENTE according to the package. Be sure to save 200 ml (¾ cup) of the starchy water before draining.
8. Add the spaghetti to the clams with a little cooking water. Discard any clams that stayed closed. Toss for 1 minute. Off the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil.