“I had the opportunity to develop some recipes while using clams. The goal was to develop some recipes in the classic Italian style using simple fresh ingredients, which would allow the freshness and the flavours of the clams to shine through. Preparing them was a great experience because I had the opportunity to develop them in my home kitchen when my daughter was very young. She experienced the flavour of fresh clams steamed and served with pasta for numerous snacks, lunch and dinners throughout the week. As the aroma’s grew in the house my daughter would come into the kitchen and sit at the breakfast bar and wait for a little taste. She would grab a chunk of bread to dip it in the sauce to taste, and we would share it together making any adjustments required to ensure the dish tasted great.
Here is the recipe for Linguine with Clams in a white wine sauce:
- 1 pound clams (in shell) rinsed clean (they must be allowed to purge the sand from their system or they will be gritty)
- 1 oz. vol. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. – fresh chopped garlic
- ½ tsp red chili flakes
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 4 oz. vol white wine (Pinot Grigio works well) – light crisp
- 8 oz. raw wt. Linguine ( cooked to package directions in boiling salted water) – use your favourite brand DeCecco works well
- 10 grape tomatoes – cut in half
- 2 tbsp. – chopped Italian parsley
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 - Place a sauté pan on the burner and heat over a medium high flame. 2 - Add oil, garlic, chili peppers and sauté for 30 seconds. Add clams to pan, season with salt and pepper and lightly toss, cover pan and allow clams to steam for approx. 2 minutes. Be careful not to move around the pan to much and break the shells. The clams should be starting to open. 3 - Cook your pasta to the package directions. Reserve some of the pasta water to the side – you may need this at the end of the dish to create the sauce 4 – Uncover the pan add white wine and cut grape tomatoes, lightly toss and cover clams again for 3 minutes. 5 - Uncover pan reduce heat – check to see that all clams are opened. Do not force open clams. Any that are not opened discard and do not use. Remove clams using a slotted spoon and place in a warm bowl on the side. 6 – Add butter to the pan and swirl around to create a sauce, add a little pasta water to the pan if you feel you need a little more liquid. Add pasta to the pan and toss with parsley – place clams back in dish and toss lightly to combine. 7 – Serve for your guest with a nice bottle of chilled Pinot Grigio.
Rick Secko, R&D food at a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR).