A seasonal clam, lemon and fennel pasta to remind you of sunny days
In Menton, in the South of France, you’re not far from Italy. On either side of the border, you’re never far from the sea, and pasta abounds.
All the clichés you’ve heard about the south of France are true. The light takes on new forms by the hour, casting beauty on the simplest pleasures. There are open-air markets busting with sun-ripened produce; acres of olive trees, lavender and sunflowers; cliffs that drop into beautiful turquoise coves.
And the food? It’s not overrated. The ratatouille, the aioli, the crispy panisse, pissaladiere, braids of garlic, Provencal melons, an overwhelming variety of local cheeses, actually good tapenades and all the rest.
But it isn’t solely a fantasyland of wine and lavender and endless vacation. It’s a real place, with real people and four seasons.
At the country’s most southeastern edge, Italy spills into France. On one side, the small, brightly hued city of Menton, rightly boastful of its lemons and more than 316 days of sunshine a year. A small sign, a dashed line on the map, and you’re in Liguria. Borders, as we know, are constructs. Regardless, on either side, you’re never far from the sea, and pasta abounds.
Try my other South of France recipes: poached quince salad and French leg of lamb.
This is an edited extract from Le Sud: Recipes from Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azure by Rebekah Peppler. Photography by Joann Pai.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup coarse, day-old breadcrumbs
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced and fronds finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- Fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 450g dried spaghetti or linguine
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Pinch saffron threads, gently crushed with your fingertips
- 1kg clams, cleaned
- 1 cup marinated lemons (see below), or a large squeeze of lemon juice
- 1 cup dry white wine
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Method
- In a small frying pan over medium-high heat, toast the breadcrumbs in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the fennel fronds and lemon zest and cook for 30 seconds more. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil until hot.
- Add the shallots and sliced fennel and cook, stirring often, until the shallots are translucent and the fennel is soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute more.
- While the shallots and fennel cook, add the pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, 2 to 3 minutes fewer than the package directions (it should still have a slight crunch in the center).
- Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the saffron to the shallot-fennel mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Add the clams, tossing to combine, then add the marinated lemons and pour in the wine and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta cooking liquid. Cover the frying pan and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the clams open, 4 to 6 minutes. Using tongs, pick out the clams and transfer to a large bowl. Loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add the pasta and another ¼ cup of the pasta cooking liquid to the pan and stir to coat. Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and continue to cook, stirring and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until the sauce coats the pasta and the pasta is al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, return the clams to the pot, add the lemon juice, and toss to combine.
- Transfer the pasta to a platter, sprinkle with the fennel frond breadcrumbs, and serve with additional lemon wedges. Serves 6-8
Marinated lemons
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 2 tablespoons peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- Fine sea salt
- 4 whole lemons, thinkly sliced into 4mm rounds
Method
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the oil, garlic, peppercorns and bay. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt. Add the lemon slices to a large glass storage jar and pour the warm garlic oil mixture over the top. Let it sit at room temperature overnight, then store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Makes 2 cups