This Red Clam Sauce uses sweet and briny chopped clams, smokey ham, and spicy red pepper flakes for a quick weeknight dinner that is rich with umami flavors and packed with nutrition.
Chopped clams are an under-utilized and under-appreciated ingredient in most households and restaurants across the US. Only in the small Northeastern part of this country, where I grew up, are chopped clams commonly used. The daintier and more expensive manila or cherrystone clams grace pasta dishes and even chowders everywhere else, but the hearty unpretentious chopped sea clam is often overlooked. And that’s a shame. Chopped sea clams are packed with nutrients, lean protein, zinc, iron, iodine, potassium, and phosphorus. Clams are sustainable and low in mercury. They can be added in the last minutes of cooking or simmered for a long time (but nothing in between😉). Chopped clams are ideal for clam chowder, stuffed clams, and for clam pasta. Chopped clams are also compact. Whether canned or frozen, they are efficient and easy to store for prolonged periods of time making them a great pantry or freezer item to have on hand for whipping up a quick weeknight meal like this one, Pasta with Red Clam Sauce.
I recommend buying chopped clams from the seafood counter at your grocery store instead of buying canned clams. Most stores will have a small bowl of chopped clams that they have thawed from frozen. So long as they were recently thawed, these are going to be the best value and quality. Or you could do what I do, and ask the seafood counter to buy a whole bag of frozen clams. These are typically 4-5 lbs and frozen in a flat “brick” which can be broken into 1 lb pieces while still frozen and stored in these more usable portion sizes. This way, you will know that they were freshly thawed when you use them. There is nothing wrong with canned clams in terms of the clam quality, but the cans typically come in ridiculously small sizes (6 oz) and contain about 50% clam juice.
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Pasta with Red Clam Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This is a delicious pasta dish that is packed with nutrition and comes together in 30 minutes or less. Perfect for a busy weeknight.
Ingredients
2–3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3/4 cup Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Dry-Cured ham, chopped (or store-bought, bacon works too)
8 garlic cloves, minced
1–2 lemon wedges, seeds removed
1 cup marinara
2 cups (1 lb) chopped clams, drained and clam juice reserved
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 lb pasta, cooked el dente (2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time on the package)
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into thin slices
fresh chopped parsley and grated parmesan to garnish (optional)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a large 12 inch skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and ham and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes longer.
When the large pot of water reaches a boil, add the pasta to it and set the time for 2 minutes less than the package recommends.
Add the reserved clam juice, marinara, and spices to the skillet and bring it up to a boil. Squeeze the juice from 1-2 lemon wedges and then place the wedges rind-side up in the skillet. Using tongs or a wooden spoon, press the cut lemon pieces against the bottom of the pan while giving it a stir.
Boil the sauce for 5-10 minutes or until it thickens a bit but is still thinner than a basic marinara.
When the pasta timer goes off, drain the pasta and add it to the sauce with the chopped clams. Continue to cook it in the sauce for another 2 minutes or until it is tender to your liking.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Wait for the sauce to stop boiling and then stir in the slices of cold butter.
Season with salt and pepper and serve this delicious pasta sprinkled with parmesan and parsley (optional).
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