Linguine with Clams
The following recipe and photography was provided by recipe developer and food photographer, Ashley Durand of Plate & Pen.
When I moved to the Midwest, I quickly realized the popularity of clams and mussels. This delicacy is especially popular in the Little Italy neighborhood of Cleveland.
In the spirit of all-things shellfish, I decided to channel my inner Italian and whip up my own take on Linguine with Clams. In its simplest form, this dish is noodles, butter, and dressy clams, but I kicked up the flavor with the addition of wine, lemons, and capers.
Of course, the most important ingredient in this dish is the seafood. The quality of the seafood in Heinen’s Seafood Department is unmatched, and when I visited last, their clams were live and fresh on ice! It’s not every day you find that kind of freshness in a Midwest grocery store.
Cooking with these clams is simply a “no brainer!”
Linguine with Clams
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the Steamed Clams
- 2 lb. (50 ct.) sack middle neck clams, rinsed and scrubbed
- 1/4 cup Heinen's butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. Heinen's crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup white wine
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. Heinen's capers
For the Linguine & Piccata Sauce
- Stancato's piccata finishing sauce
- 1 package linguine
- Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
- 2 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped for garnish
- 4 lemon wedges, for garnish
Instructions
For the Steamed Clams
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Heat another large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and allow it to melt.
- Add the onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the white wine and bring to a simmer. Do not boil.
- Drop the linguine noodles into the pot of boiling water and boil for 10 minutes or so.
- Place the clams in the skillet with the simmering white wine broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer for 7-9 minutes, or until clams have opened. Discard any clams that do not open at the end of the cook time.
- Remove the open clams from the pot and set aside.
- Stir in the lemon juice, parsley and capers.
- Discard half of broth in the skillet as it will make the sauce too runny later. Be careful not to lose too many onions and capers.
For the Linguine & Piccata Sauce
- Drain the boiled linguini and add a little olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking.
- Add the piccata finishing sauce to the wine broth and blend until smooth.
- Fold the cooked linguini into the skillet with the sauce and mix well.
- Add the open clams back into the skillet.
- Toss with tongs and garnish in the large skillet for the table, or individual serving bowls with tomatoes, lemon wedges and parsley.