This would be our second small plate of the evening… and it turned out to be everybody’s favorite.

Soak some clams in water.   Scrub to remove any sand.

I made these noodles.  Probably won’t do that next time.  They stuck together when they dried and were sort of a pain.  They were good- but a pain.  May be if I would have dried them flat instead of in the nest…

The clams get cooked with shallots, garlic, thyme, a bay leaf, and white wine.

Remove them as they open.

The clam juices / wine gets strained and mixed with butter and parsley.  A lot of butter.  No wonder the sauce was so good.

Half the sauce goes on the linguini, half mixed with the shucked clams.

Take a small part of the linguini and twirl.  Place in each open shell and top with a bit of the clam mixture.

They get nestled on some oven warmed rock salt and whole spices.  It smells great, looks great, and helps to keep the clams warm on the table.

As I said, these were everyone’s favorite for the evening.  This is really saying something since none of us consider ourselves “seafood people” who knew.

Must be the butter.

I will make this again.  No question.  I wish I could make a whole bowl of it, but I think the butter ratio may take a year off my life.

This recipe is in the French Laundry Cookbook.