Linguine With Clam Sauce

By Colu Henry

Linguine With Clam Sauce
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(3,926)
Comments
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Purists may object, but canned clams are a great weeknight pantry stalwart. When fresh ones are out of reach, or when you’ve decided you need a briny fix, the canned clam is reliable no matter the season. This recipe calls for dry vermouth, which adds a subtle herbaceous layer of flavor. (Vermouth has a long shelf life when stored properly, and it’s great to have on hand to make a last-minute pan sauce.) Canned clams are already salty, so be mindful of oversalting the pasta water or the sauce. The dish is finished with lemon zest for brightness and butter for silkiness. The best part? The whole thing can be on the table in the same amount of time it takes to boil water.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • Kosher salt
  • 1pound linguine or other long pasta, such as linguine fini or spaghetti
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving (optional)
  • 5garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • ½ to 1teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • ½teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
  • 2(10-ounce) cans whole baby clams with their juices
  • Black pepper
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 to 2 lemons)
  • ½cup chopped Italian parsley
  • Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

539 calories; 16 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 64 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 497 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until 2 minutes short of al dente (it will finish cooking in the sauce). Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain pasta.

  2. Step 2

    While the pasta cooks, make your sauce: Heat the oil in a deep-sided 12-inch skillet over medium. Add the garlic, red-pepper flakes and oregano and cook until the garlic is pale golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the vermouth and simmer until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the clams with their juices and cook until just warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

  3. Step 3

    Add the cooked pasta directly to the skillet along with the butter and lemon zest and toss until the butter has melted and the pasta is glossy with sauce. If needed, add ¼ cup reserved pasta water. Stir in half the parsley.

  4. Step 4

    Serve pasta topped with a drizzle of olive oil, if desired, and the remaining parsley. Serve lemon wedges alongside if you like.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
3,926 user ratings
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Comments

Eric Hamilton

Stir in the clams with their juices? No, no, a thousand times no! Add the juices, quickly heat to reduce by about half, remove from the heat and then add the clams.

Adam

I've been making a variation of this for 30 years. Absolutely delicious! I snagged my husband with it. Don't bother with the zest (too time consuming), just squeeze half a lemon into the sauce at the end and stir in with the parsley. I also prefer chopped canned clams to whole, and I just mix it all in a big serving bowl when the pasta is cooked.

MRC

The juice from the canned clams isn't great. I used jar clam sauce in place of the juice from the canned claims. Don't add the clams with the juice and reduce they will be rubbery and overcooked. I finish cooking my pasta in clam juice. I heat a jar of claim juice in the skillet then add the pasta to finish cooking for the last 4 minutes. The add the clams/olive oil garlic mixture, toss and enjoy. its is devine

Charles Brown

Cooked as described and it was delish. All the variations are, I’m sure, fine but most importantly, USE FRESH PASTA!!

leslie

Stir in the clams with their juices? No, no, a thousand times no! Add the juices, quickly heat to reduce by about half, remove from the heat and then add the clams. Don't bother with the zest (too time consuming), just squeeze half a lemon into the sauce at the end.When using canned clams I prefer to drain the juice into a measuring cup and pour carefully as there may be grit in the bottom.Use fresh garlic, as much as you can do! Omit the oregano, use a good white wine and reduce the clam juice

RJ808

I would just use fresh clams. They don't take a long time to cook at all, and the only concession time-wise, is to pick them up at the market at the same time as the Italian parsley, both of which are best fresh anyway. I would leave out the oregano - just personally would rather let the parsley be the main herb. The other ingredients sound fine, and 1 tablespoon of capers, if you have them handy would add to the overall flavor.

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Credits

By Colu Henry

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