Rinse the clams thoroughly under running water. Discard any with broken shells. In a large pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté 1 garlic clove (halved) with a few parsley stems.

Once the garlic is lightly golden, add the clams and cover with a lid. Cook until all the clams have opened, about 3 minutes. Let them cool slightly, then remove most of the clams from their shells, reserving a few in the shell for garnish.

In a skillet, heat the remaining olive oil and sauté the other garlic clove until golden, then remove it. Add the shelled clams.

After a few seconds, add two ladlefuls of the clam cooking liquid (filtered through cheesecloth) to the skillet and let it simmer for a few minutes to develop flavor.

Meanwhile, cook the linguine until very al dente. Drain and add the pasta to the skillet with the clams.

Turn the heat to medium and toss the pasta with the clams until well combined and flavorful. Add black pepper and salt if needed.

Turn off the heat, stir in chopped parsley, and serve the pasta topped with the reserved clams in their shells.