Lighten Up Linguine With Clams Recipes

LINGUINE WITH CLAMS (LINGUINE ALLE VONGOLE)

Steps:

• Sort and clean clams following the instructions in my Fresh Clams Guide.
• Cook linguine in a large pot of salted boiling water until it's about a minute shy of al dente, about 8 minutes (pasta will finish cooking in the clam sauce and should have a little firmness to it).
• While the pasta is cooking, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a deep skillet, sauté pan, or braiser (12-14 inches wide). Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until garlic is lightly-browned and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
• Add white wine, lemon juice, and clams, cover pan, and steam over medium-high heat until clamshells have opened, about 5-8 minutes. Gently shake the pan occasionally. I like to start checking the clams at the early end of the range, transferring them from the pan one at a time to a holding bowl as they cook. For tender clams, it's important not to overcook. Tent the bowl of cooked clams with foil. (A few clams might need a little extra time. Discard any clams that don't open after 10-13 minutes.)
• Reserve 1/2 to 1 cup of pasta water before draining the linguine. When all of the clams are cooked and removed from the pan, whisk 3 tablespoons of butter into the simmering steaming liquid.
• Add the drained linguine to the pan, tossing to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes, until linguine is al dente. The sauce should be brothy, but will lightly cling to the noodles. If the linguine looks dry at any point, stir in some of the reserved pasta water, as needed.
• Stir the chopped parsley into the pasta. Season to taste with salt*, additional red pepper flakes, and lemon juice**, if needed.
• At this point, you can either remove the clams from their shells and stir the meat into the pasta, or serve the pasta tossed or topped with the whole clams for guests to de-shell in their bowls. We like to remove the meat from about half of the clams and leave half whole.
• Garnish the dish with a drizzle of fruity olive oil, fresh lemon wedges, and the remaining parsely. Serve immediately with crusty bread for dipping.

LINGUINE WITH CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook linguine just until barely al dente, according to package directions. Drain.
• While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil and butter in large skillet over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the onion and garlic. Sauté garlic and onions until starting to soften, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add ¾ cup of the reserved clam juice, wine, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and gently simmer on low for about 10 minutes (so that the flavors come together and the sauce reduces slightly).
• Add cooked linguine, clams, and parsley to the skillet. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Simmer for about 5 more minutes, until the sauce is mostly absorbed.
• Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, extra parsley, or fresh lemon wedges.

LINGUINE WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• In large pot over high heat, bring 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt to a boil. Add the linguine and cook according to the package directions until just shy of al dente (the pasta should still be firm to the bite since it will cook another minute or two in the sauce).
• Meanwhile, in a very large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté until just golden, about 30 seconds. Add the wine, red pepper flakes, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, clams, and ¼ cup of the parsley; bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until the clams open, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
• Reserving ½ cup of the cooking water, drain the linguine in a colander (do not rinse). Add the pasta to the sauté pan with the clams. (If you don't have room for everything in one pan, transfer the clams to a plate and cover to keep warm. When ready to serve, add them back to the pasta on a serving platter). Increase the heat to medium and cook the linguini with the clams, tossing occasionally, until the pasta absorbs most of the sauce and is just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. If necessary, add some of reserved cooking water to keep moist. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley; toss to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, lemon zest and/or lemon juice, if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish or bowls and serve.
• Note: When cooking with wine, select a bottle that is inexpensive (under $10) but still good enough to drink. Avoid "cooking wines," which are salty and include additives.

LINGUINE AND CLAMS

Steps:

• For the broth: Bring the wine and 1 cup water to a boil in a stockpot over high heat. Add the clams and cook until opened, about 5 minutes. Remove clams with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Discard any clams that do not open. When cool enough to handle, remove the clams from the shell and coarsely chop.
• Bring the broth back to a boil, add the mussels and cook until the mussels open, discarding any that do not open. These mussels are added just to flavor the stock. After you remove them, eat them or reserve for another use (remove from the shell, store in a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 1 day).
• Strain the cooking liquid through a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a bowl. You should have 2 cups of liquid.
• For the breadcrumbs: Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat until it begins to shimmer, add the anchovies and cook until melted into the oil. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly golden brown, and then season with salt and pepper.
• For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the linguine to al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta well.
• Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile flakes, and cook until soft, 1 minute. Add the clam broth and cook until reduced by half.
• Whisk in the butter, creme fraiche and chopped clams, and cook until thickened. Add the basil, parsley, oregano and zest, and season with salt and pepper. Add the pasta and cook, tossing constantly, until the pasta is coated. If the mixture is too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water.
• Divide the pasta among the bowls, and top with some of the breadcrumbs. Garnish with parsley leaves.

LINGUINE WITH CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until 2 minutes short of al dente (it will finish cooking in the sauce). Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
• While the pasta cooks, make your sauce: Heat the oil in a deep-sided 12-inch skillet over medium. Add the garlic, red-pepper flakes and oregano and cook until the garlic is pale golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the vermouth and simmer until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the clams with their juices and cook until just warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Add the cooked pasta directly to the skillet along with the butter and lemon zest and toss until the butter has melted and the pasta is glossy with sauce. If needed, add 1/4 cup reserved pasta water. Stir in half the parsley.
• Serve pasta topped with a drizzle of olive oil, if desired, and the remaining parsley. Serve lemon wedges alongside if you like.

LINGUINE WITH HERBED CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Drain baby and minced clams, reserving juice; set clams and juice aside. In a large skillet, saute onion in oil and butter until tender. Add parsley and garlic; saute for 2 minutes. , Add drained clams; saute 2 minutes longer. , Combine cornstarch and clam juice until smooth; stir into skillet with wine or broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the basil, pepper and cayenne. Serve sauce over linguine; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

LINGUINE WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• Up to 8 hours in advance but as little as 1, place the olive oil, garlic, and red-pepper flakes in a large pasta serving bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature.
• To clean the clams, rinse them and place in a large bowl with cold water and the cornmeal or flour. The live clams open to ingest the corneal, thereby releasing any remaining sand. Let soak 10 minutes. Scrub each clam clean under cold running water to remove remaining, softened mud from shell and return to soak in fresh cold water. If necessary, repeat the scrubbing process a couple of times until the clams are completely clean and soaking water is free of sand. Drain and chill until ready to cook.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the boiling water, add the linguine, and cook until tender but still firm. Set the timer for 2 minutes less than the package instructions specify and taste for doneness.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, bring 1/4 cup of water to a boil. Add the cleaned clams, cover immediately, and steam until the clams are open, 3 to 5 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open.
• Place the cooked clams with the shells into the marinated olive oil. Strain the cooked clam liquid into the bowl. Add pasta and parsley and toss. Serve immediately with a drizzle of spicy olive oil on top.

LINGUINE WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, bring salted water to a boil. Add the linguine to the boiling water and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, until it ripples (don't let the oil smoke). Add the garlic and cook until edges are lightly browned. Add the clams and jalapeno, and cook for a minute. Add the wine, tomatoes and their juice and half of the parsley, and cook until the clams open, about 10 minutes.
• Add the linguine to the clam sauce and toss to coat, adding pasta water if needed. Toss in the remaining parsley.

THE ULTIMATE LINGUINE WITH CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• This sauce can be made with or without tomatoes. If you're using tomatoes in the sauce, score the skins on the bottom of the tomatoes with a large X, being careful not to cut deeper than the skin. Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil, add the tomatoes and cook 1 minute then remove with slotted spoon or tongs, cool a minute or 2 until you can handle, then peel the skin and dice the tomato into small pieces.
• Place the clams, wine and clam juice in large pot and bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 8 to 10 minutes to open the clam shells. Scoop out the clams and shuck them, place in food storage container and cool completely. Store the clams in the refrigerator until ready for use. Strain the stock and reserve, wipe out the pot and return to the heat.
• Meanwhile, make a seafood paste by adding the red onion, chile pepper, lemon zest, garlic, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves to the food processor and pulse-chop into a thick, but finely chopped, speckled paste.
• Heat about 1/4 cup olive oil, 4 turns of the pan, in the clam pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add the anchovy filets and melt them into the oil, 1 minute or so, then add the paste and stir 2 minutes. Add the reserved stock and stir to combine. Add the tomatoes, simmer 5 minutes, then cool the sauce completely and store for make-ahead meal.
• To serve, bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Salt water and cook pasta to al dente.
• Meanwhile, heat the sauce over medium heat. Once the pasta has been dropped to cook, stir the clams into the sauce and simmer a few minutes. Add a ladle of starchy cooking water to the sauce and toss with pasta 1 to 2 minutes for the flavors to combine and absorb into the pasta.

LINGUINE AND CLAMS WITH FRESH RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to package directions until 3 minutes shy of al dente. (It will finish cooking in the sauce; pasta should be toothsome but not crunchy.) Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
• Meanwhile, once pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and start to pop, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add reserved clam juice (you should have about 1 cup) and stir to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Add sauce, pasta, 1/2 cup of the pasta water and the butter back to the large pot, and cook, stirring vigorously, until sauce is thickened and pasta is al dente, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup more pasta water if a thinner sauce is desired.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the clams, cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide pasta among bowls and garnish with cheese, parsley, black pepper and red-pepper flakes, if using.

LINGUINE WITH CANNED CLAMS, CHILES AND LEMON

Steps:

• Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and season with 1 tablespoon salt. Add the pasta and cook 3 minutes less than called for on the directions on the box. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
• While the pasta cooks, combine the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and the garlic starts to sizzle, remove from the heat and allow the garlic to toast. Juice the lemon into the skillet then add the butter, clams, vermouth, 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and the cooked pasta. Stir to evenly combine, then turn the heat up to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced and fully coats the pasta, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt as needed and add black pepper, the lemon zest and parsley. Use tongs to toss then divide among bowls and serve immediately.

LINGUINE WITH LEMON CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• I usually make this in my non-stick wok.
• Heat oil and butter on medium heat and saute onion and garlic until soft and tender, not brown.
• Add basil and bay leaf.
• Pour in wine, lemon rind, lemon juice and reserved clam juice.
• Simmer until reduced a little (by about a third).
• Add clams and heat through.
• Toss in the cooked linguine a little at a time (don't make the mistake of adding too much or the sauce will be lost!) and lastly add the cheese and parsley.
• Serve with more cheese on the side and red pepper flakes (optional) and warm garlic bread.