Lemony Fregola with Cockles and Herbs

Ingredients

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
• 1 4-inch piece rhubarb, finely chopped (about ⅓ cup; optional)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped Meyer lemon or regular lemon (flesh and peel)
• 8 ounces medium fregola
• ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 pounds cockles, Manila clams, or littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup torn basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• Crushed red pepper flakes (for serving)

Steps

1. If using rhubarb, dissolve ¼ tsp. salt in 1 cup warm water in a small bowl. Add rhubarb and let soak 5 minutes (doing this will mellow the rhubarb’s acidity). Drain and pat dry. Place in a small bowl with chopped lemon and toss to combine. Let sit until ready to serve pasta.
2. Cook fregola in a large pot of boiling lightly salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, 6–8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
3. Meanwhile, heat ¼ cup oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook garlic, swirling around in pan often, until just golden, about 1 minute. Add wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add cockles, cover skillet, and cook until they open, about 4 minutes. Transfer cockles to a bowl, discarding any that don’t open.
4. Add fregola, ½ cup pasta cooking liquid, and butter to skillet. Cook, tossing often, until fregola is tender and sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Mix in basil, chives, and parsley and cook until basil has just wilted, about 20 seconds. Return cockles to pot and cook until warmed through.
5. Divide fregola and cockles among bowls. Drizzle with oil; top with rhubarb-lemon mixture (or just chopped lemon if not using rhubarb) and red pepper flakes.