Alex’s birthday meal request this year was linguine with clam sauce. Anytime we go out, if it’s on the menu, he usually ends up getting it. I made it for him one other time, but it’s been a couple years. The main reason I don’t make it that often is because I actually don’t like clams… that’s what happens when you have to learn their entire anatomy in your bio lab, haha. I made myself some simple pasta with marinara sauce while Alex got his linguine with clam sauce and garlic bread to go along with it.
This dish is so, so easy, and full of flavor. All you need is garlic, a little bit of dry white wine, reserved juice from the clams, a few cans of clams, salt, pepper, and some parmesan cheese. It comes together in a snap, and it’s always a hit with Alex, even though I don’t partake. 😉
While I was making this, it smelled so much like my shrimp scampi with fettuccine that I was kind of sad that I don’t like clams – maybe some day I’ll get over my aversion to them, I hope!
I recommend serving this up with some homemade garlic bread or at least some sort of crusty bread so you can mop up the leftover juices on your plate afterwards. Yum yum yum.
Are there any types of food that you have weird aversions to?
- 12 oz. linguine
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3-6.5 oz. cans minced clams, 3/4 cup of juices reserved
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- salt & pepper, to taste
- grated parmesan, for sprinkling
- red pepper flakes, for sprinkling
Cook the linguine in a large pot on the stove according to the package's instructions, until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat, until the butter is melted. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the reserved clam juice and white wine, and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the juices have reduced to about half its volume, and then lower the heat slowly before stirring in the clams and the cooked linguine. Toss to coat the linguine in the sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
adapted from Annie's Eats