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 or linguine. 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.
Servings: 4
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.
Notes
Fresh Clams are very expensive, but 2 lbs can be picked up just to steam them and serve with the Pasta dish for aesthetics. This works out to about 4–5 Clams per serving. Steam the clams and garnish the plate.