We're dreaming of clam bakes and lobster rolls served oceanside, but we're still leaping over snowbanks here in New York.
Beach weather is months away, but a quick dinner of Linguine with Clam Sauce might help you conjure summer.
We checked in with Wild Edibles in Grand Central Market this morning. Today, they have Little Neck Clams from Connecticut and Manila Clams from Washington State.
Manila clams tempt us with their pretty shells and the fish guy said they are at their peak and "perfect with pasta." Still we like using Littlenecks since they are harvested closer to home. Local clams are very eco-friendly.
If you've never made linguine with clams before, you'll be surprised how fast and easy it is. Boiling the water for the pasta is the most time consuming part.
Linguine with Clam Sauce is a classic and most recipes are similar. We like working from Martha's basic recipe and experimenting from there. We add capers sometimes, change out the linguine for angel hair and other pastas, or substitute raw, peeled shrimp for the clams.
If you make clam sauce, here's some tips. Use a wide pan when you make this recipe. The clams open up faster and don't overcook as easily when there's more room in the pan. If have a big Dutch oven, use that lid on your skillet for this recipe. We reached for plate to use as a skillet lid, but after the Pyrex bowl and meatballs incident, we've remembered the sudden temperature change could break the plate.
Has anyone ever cooked with canned clams? Very curious over here, but the fresh stuff seems so much better. The red Brooklyn Clam Sauce recipe from Campagna restaurant calls for canned clams.
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when i was a kid, my dad used to make this crazy pasta sauce in the winter using canned clams.
you basically saute chopped garlic in olive oil, throw in a can of drained clams, then a can of drained anchovies (they break up without too much effort) and warm it all up. then throw in a lot of capers at the last minute. toss over pasta. it was actually really good. but no, nothing like fresh.
I make clam sauce using canned clams all the time, I don't know how it compares with fresh clams, but it's pretty good, plus you don't have to deal with the shells. I usually use snow's chopped clams, which are better than some of the other brands I've tasted, and I think the basic recipe is on the can. Onions and garlic sauted in olive oil, then add the clam juice (not the clams yet) to the pan. Add a handful (or more) of dried tomatoes, and let everything cook for a few min. while the tomatoes soak up the juice. Add the clams, (1 can serves 1-2, 2 cans serves 2-4), about 3 Tablespoons of parmesean cheese, parsley and pepper. Lately I've also been adding basil. Cook a min. or two more, and serve over lingune. Cooking the lingune takes longer than making the sauce. This is one of my basic quick recipes, really easy to make and easy to keep the ingredients on hand. If you use dired herbs, there's nothing perishable invovled...
Yeah, my husband and I always have canned clams on hand. It's our "we're out of everything, but don't want to go to the store yet" dinner, because it only uses very basic pantry things: onions, garlic, canned clams, pasta, olive oil, romano.
If you cook down the onions enough, their sweetness is really delicious with the clams and the olive oil. Not the most healthy dish (mostly starch), but very fast and a good last minute thing.
Clams are extrememly rich in iron, 90% of your daily needs in a serving. They taste metallic to me, I wish I liked them more. Once I made frsh clams into chowder and was very disappointed in the taste, but it seemed to get delicious on the second day. The taste mellowed.
I have a great Linguine and Clams recipe, passed down from my dad. Take a look at the recipe (and some pretty pictures!) here: http://lauraxlei.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/linguine-and-clams/
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