Please Credit: The Macy’s Culinary Council Thanksgiving & Holiday Cookbook

Spaghetti and Shellfish

Todd English

“If you’re good at juggling pots and pans, you can back-timethis so the seafood and pasta are ready at the same time.Or, just keep the sauteed seafood warm while you cook thespaghetti. Either way, you’ll have an authentic frutti di marepasta with the added holiday luxury of lobster.”

Serves 6

4 cups water

1 tablespoon salt, plus more to season

24 littleneck clams, scrubbed

1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus morefor serving (optional)

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 small leek, including light green part,or onion, diced

14 cherry tomatoes, halved

1⁄4 cup dry white wine

Freshly ground black pepper

24 PEI mussels, scrubbed anddebearded

1 pound spaghetti

2 pounds cooked lobster meat, roughlychopped or cut into chunks, at roomtemperature

8 fresh basil leaves, cut into strips

4 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, chopped

In a large bowl, combine the water and1 tablespoon salt and stir to dissolve thesalt. Add the clams and soak at roomtemperature for 20 minutes to purgethem of grit. Drain and rinse the clamsbefore proceeding.

Bring a large pot three-fourths fullof salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in alarge skillet over medium heat until itshimmers. Add the garlic and leek andsaute until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Addthe clams, cherry tomatoes, wine, apinch of salt, and a grind of pepper, thencover the pan and simmer for 8 minutes.Add the mussels, re-cover, and simmeruntil all of the shellfish are open, 2 to3 minutes longer. Remove and discardany shellfish that failed to open. Tastethe cooking liquid and adjust the seasoningwith salt and pepper if needed.Move the skillet to a warm place whileyou cook the spaghetti.

Add the spaghetti to the boilingwater and cook until al dente, accordingto package directions. Scoop outand reserve 1 cup of the cooking water,then drain the pasta in a colander.

Transfer the pasta to a large bowl,add the lobster meat, the clams andmussels and their cooking liquid, thebasil, and the parsley and toss to combine.Season with salt and pepper. Addsome of the reserved cooking water ifthe pasta seems too dry. Drizzle withadditional olive oil, if desired, and serveimmediately.

Todd’s Tip: PEI (Prince Edward Island)mussels from the Atlantic north ofNova Scotia are widely available andconsistently plump and tasty.