Place the clams in a large bowl of cold, salty water (similar to seawater). Let them soak for 30 minutes, then lift the clams out, leaving the sand behind.

Change the water and repeat until there’s no sand at the bottom of the bowl. This might take 1–4 rounds.

Discard any clams that are open and don’t close when tapped.

In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking until fragrant (about 1 minute).

Add the white wine and bring it to a simmer. Add the clams, cover the pan, and cook until they begin to open (5–7 minutes).

As each clam opens, transfer it to a bowl to avoid overcooking. Keep cooking until all clams open, then remove ⅔ of the shells.

While the clams cook, boil the linguine in a large pot of lightly salted water until al dente (according to package instructions). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the clam sauce. Stir in a splash of reserved pasta water and toss everything together over medium heat until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta.

Add the butter (optional), the reserved clam meat, and the whole clams for garnish. Toss for 1–2 minutes to heat through.

Remove from heat and mix in fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper if needed.