SMOKED RAZOR CLAM PASTA WITH LOTS OF LEMON

The internet is rich in pasta recipes built on a base of sweet, caramelized alliums and savory tinned anchovies: here’s yet another one, fresh from the sea.

A few things set this version apart. First, a subtle undercurrent of smoked paprika (applied softly: the finished dish should taste like it went camping last weekend, not like it’s currently on fire). Sweet smoked razor clams, straight from the can, lend a briny paella-ish quality to the sauce. Finally, to throw it all pleasantly off balance: more lemon zest than you think. Missy Robbins, whose uncompromising devotion to meaningful minutiae breathes through every page of her 2021 book, Pasta, insists that lemon zest never, ever be microplaned off the lemon. She requires her staff to first remove the zest in paper-thin sheets with a vegetable peeler, excise the white subdermis, then mince the yellow skin extra-fine with a sharp knife, to avoid any whisper of bitter pith. In this casual recipe, a microplane will do — but if you have time, why not take the high road with Missy?

Regardless, save the juice of the lemons to make Pacific Coast Pie.

The sun shines on freshly milled lumber and a lunch of smoked razor clam spaghetti.

Cooked at the source: Hama Hama Oyster Company (Lilliwaup, WA): March 8, 2022. Adrienne Anderson

• The basic idea

  First, caramelize onions slowly in butter or oil: this will take a long time, about 45 minutes. Add a tin of oil-packed anchovies (drain it first) and some minced garlic and let it all melt into the onions over low heat. Add smoked paprika and tomato paste and cook for a few minutes to wake up their dormant flavors. Add a can of chopped smoked razor clams (liquid and all) and heat through.

  Meanwhile, set a pot of well-salted pasta water on to boil. When the sauce is nearly done, cook the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti along with a little pasta water to the sauce; toss to combine. Fold in a heroic amount of lemon zest and serve.

• Ingredient list

  To serve 4

  • 4 tablespoons butter

  • 2 large onions, diced

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tin (approx. 2 ounces) anchovies in oil, drained

  • 1 can (4-6 ounces) tomato paste

  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

  • 1 can (6 ounces) smoked Pacific razor clams, available from Hama Hama Oysters

  • 1 pound spaghetti (or another long pasta)

  • 2 lemons

  • salt to taste

• Steps

  1. Heat a large skillet with high sides or a dutch oven over medium heat.

  2. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and let it melt.

  3. When the foamy bubbles subside, add 2 diced onions and a pinch of salt.

  4. Cook the onions over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly caramelized, about 45 minutes.

  5. Push the onions to the edge of the pan and add 3 cloves minced garlic and 1 tin of oil-packed anchovies (drained) to the center.

  6. Cook until the anchovies dissolve and the garlic is slightly translucent, about 3 minutes.

  7. Add 2 teaspoons smoked paprika and 1 tin of tomato paste to the center of the pan.

  8. Cook, stirring, until the tomato paste darkens slightly and the smoked paprika is fragrant, about 2 minutes.

  9. Add one 6-ounce can of chopped smoked Pacific razor clams (liquid and all) and stir to heat through. Set the sauce aside, covered to keep warm.

  10. Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta and salt it well (it should taste like the sea: extremely salty).

  11. When the water boils, add the pasta and cook until al dente.

  12. When the pasta is nearly done, raise the heat on the pan with the sauce to return it to a simmer.

  13. When the pasta is done, reserve about 1 cup of pasta water and drain off the rest.

  14. Add the hot pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine and continuing to cook until every strand of pasta is coated and no excess sauce floats free in the pan. Add a little of the reserved pasta water if it becomes too thick or tangled to move freely.

  15. Stir in the zest of 2 lemons and serve.