Clam Sauce Recipe
User Reviews
5
Clam Sauce Recipe
Description
The Clam Sauce Recipe starts by cleaning and soaking live littleneck clams to remove sand and impurities. Discard any clams that do not close when tapped. Alongside, drained canned baby clams are prepared with their liquid reserved for the sauce. Olive oil gently sautés garlic, finely minced shallots, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes, releasing fragrant aromatics without browning.
White wine and clam juice are then added to the pan to create a flavorful broth that captures the sea essence. Throughout, tenderness is preserved by cooking clams until they just open. Butter is stirred in to enrich the sauce, with fresh lemon juice brightening it and chopped parsley at the end for freshness. Black pepper seasons the sauce to taste.
This clam sauce coats cooked strand pasta, delivering a seafood-forward, tangy, and slightly spicy sauce with a smooth texture and fresh herb aroma. Parmesan cheese and lemon wedges served on the side provide optional garnishes to complete the dish.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs littleneck clams
- 10 ounce baby clams whole, canned
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 shallot finely minced
- 1/2 tsp oregano dried
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup white wine dry
- 1/2 cup clam juice reserved from canned clams
- 3 Tbsp butter
- lemon juice of half
- 1/3 cup parsley fresh, finely chopped
- black pepper
- 3/4 lb spaghetti or linguine or bucatini, strand pasta
garnish
- Parmesan Cheese optional
- lemon wedges
Instructions
- Give your Littleneck clams an initial rinse in cold water to remove any debris. Check each clam for any cracks, chips, or open shells. Discard any clams that are cracked, broken, or don't close when tapped.
- Soak (purge) them in a large bowl of salted cold water for 30 minutes. This allows them to purge any impurities or sand that's inside the shell. You'll notice little bubbles rising and some of the shells opening partially.
- Drain and rinse again under cold running water.
- Give the clams a final inspection, discarding any that are still open or have damaged shells. To test open shells, tap them on the counter...if they close they're good to go, but if they remain open, discard them.
- While the clams are soaking start your sauce. Drain the canned clams and reserve the liquid. Set both aside.
- In a large pan big enough to hold the entire recipe heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic, shallots, dried oregano and red pepper for a minute or two, stirring almost constantly.
- Add the white wine and reserved clam juice (which should be about 1/2 cup) to the pan and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce a bit.
- Meanwhile cook the pasta in salted water until al dente.
- Add the canned clams to the sauce, along with the cleaned littleneck clams, spreading them out across the pan in a single layer. Bring back to a boil, turn down the heat, cover the pan, and steam until the clams open, about 5 minutes. Give them a stir to redistribute a couple of times during steaming.
- Remove the shelled clams to a plate. Add the cooked pasta to the pan. I like to use tongs to transfer it directly from the pot to the pan, although this requires careful timing to get everything ready at the same point. It's fine if a little starchy water comes along with the pasta. Give everyhing a good toss with the butter, lemon juice and fresh parsley.
- Arrange the shelled clams back into the pot, nestling them down into the pasta a little bit. Your dish is ready to serve. I like to add fresh cracked black pepper, and some might like a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Note: In Italian cooking it's often advised to avoid adding cheese to seafood pasta dishes like linguine with clam sauce, but we like add grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano. To each his own :)
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 590 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 590kcal | 30% |
| Carbohydrates | 71g | 24% |
| Protein | 17g | 34% |
| Fat | 24g | 37% |
| Saturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 12g | 60% |
| Trans Fat | 0.3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 33mg | 11% |
| Sodium | 205mg | 9% |
| Potassium | 319mg | 7% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 834IU | 17% |
| Vitamin C | 10mg | 11% |
| Calcium | 57mg | 6% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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