Linguine with Clam Sauce
6 little neck or middle neck clams/person
- or canned clam sauce
Dry white wine (or lemon juice & water to give you that acidic zing)
A ton of dried oregano
Black pepper
Red pepper flakes
Sliced garlic
Crushed, peeled garlic
Diced celery
Diced bell pepper
Fresh parsley, or other fresh herb, not dried
Maybe some salt
Olive oil
Butter and parmesan optional
Cooked linguine
Reserved pasta cooking water, if necessary
If using canned clam sauce, just use the same additional ingredients, open the can, dump it in a pot and stir ‘em in!
Most recently, I got the littlenecks at Hill’s Seafood on Balt Pike in Media. Broomall Giant is probably good, as well. If using fresh clams, rinse them well as they may be sandy. If a clam is open and doesn’t close when tapped, do not use it. It is dead and can make you sick.
In a large frying pan, sweat garlic, celery, and bell pepper in a bit of olive oil until soft. When they are soft, turn the temp down to med low or low, and add the clams in a single layer. Keep some of the rinse water on them so they have something to start steaming with. Add several crushed cloves of garlic, several glugs of wine, a ton of oregano, red and black pepper, a splash of olive oil. Cover the pan.
After a few minutes, begin checking on the clams. Pull them out of the pan as they open. If, after several minutes, a clam does not open, do not use it. It is dead and can make you sick. Now, you have the sauce. Taste it to see if it needs salt or anything else. Clams can be pretty salty in and of themselves. I’ve never done this, but I think some butter stirred in at this point would be delish! Add some fresh parsley, or other herb, just not something dried. If you don’t think there is enough sauce, add some of the reserved pasta water.
Toss with cooked linguine and serve clams on top in the individual bowls of pasta. Some Italians forbid using cheese with seafood and shellfish, but I like some parmesan. Yummy!
Sorry about the vagueness of this recipe. I’ve never written it down. I just make it. I just know how it should look and taste.
~Elena
- or canned clam sauce
Dry white wine (or lemon juice & water to give you that acidic zing)
A ton of dried oregano
Black pepper
Red pepper flakes
Sliced garlic
Crushed, peeled garlic
Diced celery
Diced bell pepper
Fresh parsley, or other fresh herb, not dried
Maybe some salt
Olive oil
Butter and parmesan optional
Cooked linguine
Reserved pasta cooking water, if necessary
If using canned clam sauce, just use the same additional ingredients, open the can, dump it in a pot and stir ‘em in!
Most recently, I got the littlenecks at Hill’s Seafood on Balt Pike in Media. Broomall Giant is probably good, as well. If using fresh clams, rinse them well as they may be sandy. If a clam is open and doesn’t close when tapped, do not use it. It is dead and can make you sick.
In a large frying pan, sweat garlic, celery, and bell pepper in a bit of olive oil until soft. When they are soft, turn the temp down to med low or low, and add the clams in a single layer. Keep some of the rinse water on them so they have something to start steaming with. Add several crushed cloves of garlic, several glugs of wine, a ton of oregano, red and black pepper, a splash of olive oil. Cover the pan.
After a few minutes, begin checking on the clams. Pull them out of the pan as they open. If, after several minutes, a clam does not open, do not use it. It is dead and can make you sick. Now, you have the sauce. Taste it to see if it needs salt or anything else. Clams can be pretty salty in and of themselves. I’ve never done this, but I think some butter stirred in at this point would be delish! Add some fresh parsley, or other herb, just not something dried. If you don’t think there is enough sauce, add some of the reserved pasta water.
Toss with cooked linguine and serve clams on top in the individual bowls of pasta. Some Italians forbid using cheese with seafood and shellfish, but I like some parmesan. Yummy!
Sorry about the vagueness of this recipe. I’ve never written it down. I just make it. I just know how it should look and taste.
~Elena
