- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Salt
- 1 (10 ounce) box couscous
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 pounds Manila clams or cockles, rinsed
- 1 cup drained roasted red peppers from a jar, cut into thin strips
- 1 cup drained canned white beans
- 2 large scallions, thinly sliced
- In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil with the butter and a generous pinch of salt. Stir in the couscous, cover and remove from the heat.
- In a large deep skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the garlic and cook over high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in the crushed red pepper and the wine and boil until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the clams and bring to a boil. Cover the skillet, lower the heat to moderate and cook, stirring occasionally, until the clams open, about 3 minutes. Add the red peppers, beans and scallions and cook just until heated through, about 1 minute.
- Fluff the couscous with a fork and spoon it into 4 deep bowls. Spoon the clams, peppers and beans over the couscous. Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the broth, spoon it over the clams and serve.