A unique Clam Pasta that is made with Mushrooms cooked in Garlic Butter, Pan tossed pasta to develop the sauce with Cherry Tomatoes & Pesto. Everything comes together so beautifully and the tomatoes really add that burst of tangy brightness to the dish.
Clam Pasta or Pasta with Clams is a wonderful, simple and elegant Pasta and this one is very unique. While your typical sauce for this recipe is usually just Wine, Garlic & Parsley, sometimes with Chilies. You know I have to give it that extra something and make it different. This recipe came about after eating the Twisty Pasta Sauce and the thought occurred, perhaps this is also the sauce I am looking for in a Clam Pasta recipe, I had to see.
The Garlic Pesto Clam Sauce consists of the canned clam juices that is naturally thickened with the starches present in the pasta. Creating an exceptional, smooth and silky sauce that clings to the pasta. The Garlic Pesto Sauce is the combination of Garlic Butter, which is initially used to cook the mushrooms and Pesto added very last. Plus with leftover Garlic Butter perfect to make Garlic Bread to serve on the side.
Clam Pasta Ingredients
Pasta (Linguine or Spaghetti), Canned Clams, Garlic Butter (Butter, Parsley, Chives or Green Onion, Dehydrated Onion & Garlic Flakes, Butter Popcorn Seasoning, Dill, Aleppo Chili Flakes, Aioli (Sunflower Oil, Garlic Cloves, Sea Salt)), Mushrooms, Cherry/Grape Tomatoes, Pesto.
Pasta
The proper pasta to serve with clams is spaghetti, or linguine if you prefer a little more sauce cling. Because their long, slender shapes balance delicacy with absorption. Letting the briny clam juices coat every strand without overpowering the dish. Pick up bronze cut pasta or otherwise a pasta that has a rough exterior. This allows the sauce to cling much better.
Clams
This is where the dish prepared can be really expensive or much cheaper, depending on the type of Clams you want. Below are a few options;
- Manila Clams: Very expensive and requires soaking, cleaning, and steaming. But offers the most fresh and natural flavors, and a clam stock can be made. Optionally, 1 lb (ca. 454 g) can be picked up just to scatter throughout the pasta for aesthetics.
- Frozen Clams: Very Cheap, but no simmering liquids or clam broth that can be used to add flavor. Although, you get a lot of Clam meat and they’re bigger. Instead a Hondashi or Seafood broth is made.
- Canned Clams: In between the two above. Offers a slightly more expensive, but still cheaper clam meat as well as the rich liquids they are contained in. This is most ideal for a home meal and you get a lot of clam meat. It skips preparing and steaming the clams and offers that wonderful clam juice that isturned into a sauce. They are also already cooked, so they just need to be tossed in to cook briefly.
Clam Pasta Sauce
The Clam Pasta Sauce itself is the combination of Clam Pasta Broth, Garlic Butter, & Pesto. All three of these ingredients are not combined together, but instead added to the pan in stages in which the final Clam Pasta Sauce is created.
Garlic Butter
Garlic Butter is added right at the start to cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, before the Pasta is added in. The Garlic Butter needs to be made in advance and any leftover Garlic Butter can be used for Garlic Bread to serve on the side.
Clam Pasta Broth
The Clam Broth is where we go a bit different. Mainly because I really want to taste the sea with this dish, nothing too overpowering. But something to satisfy the seafood craving. The natural clam juices that the canned clams come with is perfect and used to create the Clam broth. It is the vigorously mixing of the pasta in the Clam Broth with Garlic Butter that rubs off the starches and creates a smooth, thickened sauce that clings to the Pasta.
If using steamed clams, then the steaming liquids with added Hondashi or Seafood Broth Powder to taste is used in exchange of the canned clam liquids. If using Frozen Clams, then water with Hondashi or Seafood Broth powder is mixed and used. This may include a bit of anchovy paste to taste, in order to bolster up the seafood flavor.
There is about 1 1/4 C of Clam Juices within 2 cans of clams, a little over 1/2 C for each can. If using frozen clams, then a broth can be made to substitute for the clam juices. Use 1 1/4 C of Water with either Seafood Broth or Hondashi to taste.
Pesto
Pesto is added very last and off heat because Pesto is pretty heat sensitive. The Pesto does a wonderful job bringing everything together. The Mushrooms, along with Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto is such a perfect trinity of flavors. Pesto can also be combined with some Garlic Butter to make Twisty Bread Sticks.
Parsley & Parsley Stem
Parsley can be an important ingredient. It is used at its fullest potential by using the parsley stems. Which have a much more prominent parsley flavor than the leaves. Clams can sometimes taste metallic, especially steaming fresh clams, and parsley is a Chelating Herb. This means that it can reduce the metallic taste in clams and provide a herbaceous flavor complimentary to the delicate clams flavors. This is why you see the Parsley Stems being simmered when making the clam broth and then removed. While parsley leaves are used in the dish itself or as garnishing.
If you want to include parsley stems for the added benefit of making the dish more herbaceous and eliminate any possible metallic taste from the clams. Then add about 7-8 Parsley stems when cooking the mushrooms and adding in the Clam broth, remove before adding in the pasta. The tops of the Parsley can be tossed in last before serving or used to garnish.
How to Boil Pasta
Bring a pot filled with 16 C of Water & 2 Tbl of Sea Salt to a boil. Once it starts to boil, add the pasta and mix. Cover so that it comes to a boil much faster and then mix again and continue to boil uncovered mixing every so often. Once the Pasta is al dente, it can be added directly to the pan.
This ratio of Water to Salt is perfect for seasoning the pasta throughout and for adding to the pan sauce in order to adjust the consistency without being too overly salty. Instead, it contains a good amount of salt that is complimentary to any sauce, no matter how much you add.
Pan Sauce Technique
The technique employed is to add the seasoned pasta to the pan with a sauce. It’s the vigorous mixing that rubs the starches off of the pasta and in turn thickens any liquids. You keep mixing until, when the pasta is pushed aside, you can see it thickened and clinging to the pasta. Adding more pasta water as needed. That’s really all there is to it. This technique is employed in many Italian dishes.
How to make Clam Pasta
Bring a pot filled with 16 C of Water and 2 Tbl of Sea Salt to a boil. Meanwhile, wash and slice the Tomatoes & Mushrooms. Prepare the Garlic Butter as well. Add the Pasta to the pot, mix and cover. Set the timer to 13 minutes.
Heat the Pan: Once the timer hits 11 minutes, give the pasta a stir and leave uncovered. Place a large skillet over medium heat and let it get hot for 3 minutes.
Mushrooms: At the 8-minute mark, give the pasta another stir and add the Garlic Butter to the pan and immediately follow with the mushrooms and stir (include parsley stems if using). Leave for about 1 minute each time, then stir again for a total of 5 minutes.
Clam Broth: At the 3-minute mark, give the pasta another stir, add the Clam Broth in with the mushrooms and mix. It can stay here until the pasta is ready to be transferred over.
Pan Pasta: Add all the pasta straight to the pan from the pot. Set the timer to 5 minutes. Mix very aggressively to rub the starches off the pasta to thicken the broth for about 3 minutes.
Once it is creamy looking, add the Clams & Tomatoes. Repeat mixing aggressively to thicken the sauce. Add more pasta water if needed.
Pesto: Once the sauce has thickened and is creamy, shut the heat off and add the Pesto. Repeat, mixing aggressively to thicken the sauce and serve right away.
Side Dishes
Garlic Bread is an excellent pairing for this dish, especially where you will already have some leftover Garlic Butter. Other options may include Focaccia, or Crusty Bread, Caesar Salad, or Asparagus.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pasta - Spaghetti or Linguine
- 2 cans Clam Meat - juices strained and reserved
- 1/2 lb Cherry Tomatoes & Mushrooms - each, washed and sliced
Pasta Water
- 16 C Water
- 2 Tbl Fine Sea Salt
Clam Pasta Sauce
- Juices from the canned Clams - about 1 1/4 Cups
- 1/2 C Pesto
- 1/4 C Garlic Butter
Instructions
- Prep: Bring a pot filled with 16 C of Water and 2 Tbl of Sea Salt to a boil. Meanwhile, wash and slice the Tomatoes & Mushrooms. Prepare the Garlic Butter as well. Strain out the Clam Juices into a bowl and keep the clams in the can. Add the Pasta to the pot, mix and cover. Set the timer to 13 minutes.
- Heat the Pan: Once the timer hits 11 minutes, give the pasta a stir and leave uncovered. Place a large skillet over medium heat and let it get hot for 3 minutes.
- Mushrooms: At the 8-minute mark, give the pasta another stir and add the Garlic Butter to the pan and immediately follow with the mushrooms and stir (include parsley stems if using). Leave for about 1 minute each time, then stir again for a total of 5 minutes.
- Clam Broth: At the 3-minute mark, give the pasta another stir, add the Clam Broth in with the mushrooms and mix. It can stay here until the pasta is ready to be transferred over.
- Pan Pasta: Add all the pasta straight to the pan from the pot.Set the timer to 5 minutes. Mix very aggressively to rub the starches off the pasta to thicken the broth for about 3 minutes. Once it is creamy looking, add the Clams & Tomatoes. Repeat mixing aggressively to thicken the sauce. Add more pasta water if needed. Once the sauce has thickened and is creamy, shut the heat off and add the pesto. Repeat, mixing aggressively to thicken the sauce and serve right away.Parlsey Leaf can be tossed in to mix through before serving or used for garnish.