Cockles with Pearl Couscous, White Wine, and Herbs

• porce: 2 servings

Ingredience

1 lb Cockles (purged and cleaned)

1 cup Pearl couscous (or other very small pasta shape)

4 tbsp Unsalted butter

3 tbsp Olive oil

3 cloves Garlic (thinly sliced)

1 cup White wine

1 cup Water or broth

¼ cup Chopped parsley (+ 4-5 parsley stems (optional)

1-2 tbsp Fresh sliced chives

½ Lemon (juiced)

Kosher salt (to taste, plus more for cleaning the clams)

Black pepper (to taste)

Pokyny

Heat olive oil in a wide, heavy bottomed pan (such as a dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and parsley stems and cook gently until fragrant and just softened, but not yet browned, about 1 minute. Optionally add some red pepper flakes. Add the cleaned cockles and white wine, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook over medium-high heat, checking frequently. Have a bowl prepared on the side to place the open clams.

Use tongs to pull each cockle out and place in the bowl to the side the moment it opens rather than waiting for them to all be opened. This prevents the first ones from overcooking while waiting on the others. Discard any cockles that don't open. Remove parsley stems.

Leave all the liquid in the pan. Add the water with the remaining wine and clam juice and bring to a simmer. Add the pearl couscous, stirring occasionally, and cook according to package directions, until the couscous is tender and most of the liquid has absorbed. It should be loose and a little saucy, not dry.

Stir in the butter and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed, since the cockle juice carries a lot of natural salinity. Stir in about half of the chopped parsley. Return the cockles to the pan, nestling them into the couscous just to warm through. About 30 to 60 seconds or so. Pull off heat as soon as they are warmed to avoid overcooking.

Scatter parsley and chives generously over the top. Serve directly from the pan.