Linguine with Clams
Living in the Bay Area, I’m lucky to have easy access to local seafood markets that offer a variety of fresh fish and shellfish options that rotate often. The Monterey Fish Market located in the heart of Berkeley, California has quickly become my favorite. I think there’s beauty in experiencing the seasonality of seafood and there’s nothing fresher than enjoying locally caught seafood in California like rockfish, oysters, and Dungeness crab. This dish highlights the freshness of Manila clams from the state of Washington, a close neighbor. The combination of these mild yet briny clams with fresh garlic, sweet tomatoes, juicy lemon, and a touch of butter, makes for a deliciously balanced meal fit to satiate your seafood cravings.
The Monterey Fish Market has been supplying seafood to the Bay area since 1979. Paul Johnson, one of its owners, began his career as a chef in Berkeley, later becoming introduced to the fish distribution business. He knew quality and over the years, they’ve continued to build strong relationships with fisherman, industry professionals, chefs, restaurants, and the local consumer. From local Dungeness crab, rockfish, halibut to more distant fish, shellfish, and crustacean — they have it all. Needless to say, it’s become my favorite seafood markets in the Bay Area.
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Yield: 4-6 servings
Tools —
Deep baking tray or large bowl
Brush (for cleaning clams)
Large pot
Large deep sauté pan or Dutch oven
Rubber spatula
Pair of tongs
Ingredients —
1/4 cup salt (for cleaning clams)
2 lbs Manila clams
1 lb linguine pasta
2-3 tbsp olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup white wine
1 x 9.5 oz. jar of clams in clam juice
1 chicken bouillon cube, Herbox
1/2 cup pasta water
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
2-3 tbsp onion powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Handful of chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions —
1. Important! Clean your clams for at least 1 hour ahead of cooking time. When you get home, immediately rinse the clams and scrub the shells with a brush. In a deep baking tray or large bowl, sprinkle 1/4 cup salt at the bottom, add clams, and add water until clams are fully submerged. Ideally, I like to line up the clams in one flat layer. Let clams sit for 1 hour undisturbed so that they can spit out any dirt or sand that you don’t want in your pasta! After soaking, rinse clams in clean water and set aside.Immediately rinse the clams and scrub the shells with a brush.
4. In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and cook your linguine pasta 2-3 minutes less than the box’s instructions. Note: It’s important to undercook your pasta in this step because you’ll cook the pasta again with the clams and sauce later.
5. Set aside 1 cup of starchy pasta water to use for the sauce. When the pasta is just shy of al dente, drain the excess water and set aside.
6. While the pasta is cooking, heat up a large sauté pan or Dutch oven on medium heat. When hot, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil, then the minced garlic. Sauté garlic for ~30 seconds or until lightly golden brown.
7. Deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce.
8. Add 1/2 cup of pasta water and 1 chicken bouillon cube. You can replace with 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought chicken broth instead.
9. Add 1 can or jar of clams in clam juice. Any brand will do, this is the secret for more flavor!
10. Bring sauce to a boil and add cherry tomatoes and onion powder.
11. Cook the sauce for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are softened.
12. Add clams to the pan, cover with a lid, and cook for 6-8 minutes on medium-high heat or until the clams are opened.
13. Add pre-cooked pasta, 2 tbsp of butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cook until all the ingredients are incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
14. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, serve immediately and enjoy!