I love seafood…and living close to the water, I am grateful that I have access to delicious fresh seafood anytime I want. This is a perfect dish to serve for a light lunch or a hearty dinner. You can use fresh clams or canned chopped clams. I only had a can of chopped clams on hand, but it was just right. If you use fresh clams, make sure to steam them first in a little water or wine until they all open. Then remove from the shell, chop them into bite size pieces and remember to use the clams and the juice in the cooking process. It is lovely and lemony, and hits the spot without being too heavy…as some pasta dishes tend to be. I hope you have an opportunity to taste it and let me know what you think!
***An original recipe by www.goodfoodgourmet.com
Linguini with Clam Sauce
1# Linguini noodles
3 Tablespoons coarse salt (for pasta water)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 anchovy fillets, plus oil from the can
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley
2 pinches of black pepper
Juice & zest of 1 lemon
½ cup white wine
The sauce and the linguini should be cooked simultaneously, so that when the linguini is just cooked, it is added into the sauce and tossed. First, add water and 3 Tablespoons of salt to a large pot until it begins to boil. While this is heating up, add the anchovies, the oil from the can plus the 2 tablespoons of additional olive oil into a skillet. The anchovies will start to melt, and at this point add the onions and sauté until caramelized. You would think that the addition of the anchovies would make the dish very salty, but it is actually just right, since we are not adding any additional salt in the dish…just the pasta water. Once caramelized add the garlic, cook for a few minutes and then deglaze the pan with the cup of wine, the lemon juice and the black pepper. Turn the heat for this mixture down to a simmer and let most of the liquid cook off. By this time, the water has boiled…add the linguini noodles and cook until they are al dente. Once they are almost cooked, take 4 Tablespoons of the starchy pasta water and add it to your sauce in the skillet. This will help the sauce adhere to the pasta. Once they are ready, drain the noodles and quickly add them into the sauce in the skillet. Toss until all of the sauce has been absorbed by the pasta. Just before serving, add the lemon zest and parsley and toss again. Delicious!
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