Cockles – or pipis as we often call them in SA – are fished locally and make a beautifully simple supper.

Recipe Callum Hann | Photograph Brendan Homan | Styling Natalie Homan

Cockles with linguine, zucchini and thyme breadcrumbs

400g linguine
1 tbsp oil
2 zucchini, cut into 1cm dice
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
1kg cockles
250ml white wine
juice of 1 lemon

breadcrumbs:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
10 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
zest of 1 lemon 

To make the breadcrumbs, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, thyme and breadcrumbs and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Stir through lemon zest. Set aside. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Cook linguine according to packet instructions. Reserve one cup of cooking liquid. Drain linguine and set aside.

Return frying pan to the heat. Add zucchini and cook for 2-3 minutes or until starting to become tender and golden. Leave a bit of bite to it. Add garlic and chilli for the last 30 seconds of cooking. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Once again, return frying pan to high heat. Add cockles, white wine and lemon juice. Cover and cook, shaking occasionally, until cockles open. Mix in linguine and enough reserved pasta water to give sauce a luscious consistency. Stir through the zucchini mixture.

Serve linguine sprinkled with thyme breadcrumbs.

 

This recipe first appeared in the April 2019 issue of SALIFE.