Linguine with Red Clam Sauce

I love clam linguine! It is such a simple, yet delightful dish. I have had many variations of this dish over the years with both red and white sauce, but usually prefer the white sauce. When looking to create this dish at home, I realized that my beloved “white sauce” was really just butter, olive oil and white wine- no wonder it was my favorite! My goal here was to create a clam linguine that still tastes really good, but healthy enough to eat on a regular basis. This is what I came up with and as it turns out, now I prefer the red sauce!

Linguine with Red Clam Sauce
Adapted from For the Love of Cooking
Serves 2-3

4 oz of bacon or pancetta, chopped
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
3-4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of minced clams, juice reserved
2 tablespoons white wine
14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
6-8 oz linguine, cooked per instructions
1 lb fresh clams, cleaned
2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Cook the bacon in a large sauté pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until browned, remove from the pan to a paper towel. If there isn't enough oil in the pan from the bacon, add olive oil. Add the onion and cook stirring frequently, until soft and tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the seasonings and minced garlic, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the juice from the can of minced clams and scrape the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan, then add the wine and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the crushed tomatoes. Taste and re-season if needed. Let the sauce simmer covered for 20 minutes.

Cook the pasta per instructions. While the pasta is cooking, add the fresh clams* to the sauce and simmer for 4-6 minutes or until they open. If there are any clams that do not open, throw them out. Toss the cooked linguine with the sauce and clams until evenly coated. Top with parsley and serve.


*Make sure that when you buy your clams that they are in an open bag that can breathe.  Keep the clams in the refrigerator until ready to use. When ready to use, scrub them in cold water to remove any grit. Go through your fresh clams, if any of them are open, tap them lightly on the counter and if they don't close shut, the clams are dead - DON'T EAT THEM.