Sunday dinners at my grandparent’s house were a regular event when I was a child growing up. Sunday dinners were often Italian themed, with a pasta dish being central to the meal. One of these pastas was Linguine with Clam Sauce.
I love the simplicity of this dish. Clams cooked down in garlic and onion with a little white wine, lemon, and parsley and then tossed with some pasta. Delicious and fairly easy to toss together. Fresh or canned clams can be used. I prefer to use shelled clams and finely chop them so that the clam flavor can be well dispersed through the pasta. Every bite is a slight taste of nostalgia.
Ingredients
1 lb linguine pasta
¼ cup olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
20 oz shelled clams, fresh, canned, or froze,
¾ cups parsley, chopped, divided, plus additional for garnish
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp black pepper
½ cup clam juice
½ cup white wine
If you are using canned clams, drain the clams from the liquid through a mesh strainer, reserving the liquid. Chop all of the clams finely on a cutting board, canned or fresh.
Fill a medium sized stock pot ½ to ⅔ of the way full with water. Bring to a simmer and then add 2 tablespoons of salt. Stir the water to make sure the salt is dissolved and then add in the dried linguine. Cook the linguine for about 10-12 minutes, until it is al dente.
Place a pan over medium heat. Once warm, add ¼ cup of olive oil and then the onion. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for a minute. Add the clams, along with the oregano, black pepper, and ¼ cup of the chopped parsley. Stir the contents of the pan and allow the clams to saute for about 3 minutes.
Add the white wine and clam juice to the pan. Stir. If you are using canned clams, use ½ cup of the reserved clam juice from the cans. If you are using fresh clams, then use ½ cup of bottled clam juice. Allow the clams to simmer in the wine and clam juice mixture for 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the lemon zest and lemon juice and stir it into the clams.
As the linguine is finishing, use a ladle to reserve about 4-5 ladlefuls of the pasta water, placing it into a bowl. Then drain the finished linguine through a colander.
Add the sauce to the drained linguine and toss the pasta and the clam sauce together. Add a ladle of the reserved pasta water and stir the linguine and clam sauce together. Add another ladle and stir it through the linguine if needed to bring the pasta and sauce together. Add in the remaining ½ cup of chopped parsley and stir it through the pasta.
The linguine and clam sauce is ready to serve. Serve portions in bowls, and garnish with additional chopped parsley and grated parmesan.