Linguine w/ Clams (sous vide chopped clams)
Level: Moderate Yield: 4 servings
Linguini and clam sauce is my go to dish to test out any new Italian restaurant, if they make a perfect linguini and clam sauce, they typically will win me over. When I make linguini and clam sauce at home, I would typically just throw all the ingredients in a pan and toss it up. This recipe is different, there’s a bit more finesse, giving the linguini an opportunity to soak up the clam juice and white wine. The whole process is worth it; this linguini and clam sauce recipe is well balanced, flavorful, with a little bit of kick from the crushed red pepper flakes.
I’m lucky to have a friend that calls me every time he has an over abundance of fresh NJ clams. This batch had a bunch of big ones, I made a few things and in the end only the really really big ones were left and I had to use them quickly. I decided to do an experiment, so I chopped them up and sous vide to give me another day or two before I had to use them. These became a great addition to this recipe.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal or 1 tablespoon Morton kosher salt, plus more
12 garlic cloves, divided
4 ounces sourdough or country-style bread, crusts removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
2 oil-packed anchovy fillets (can also use anchovy paste, the anchovy is used as a salt element)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for serving (adjust this based on heat level desired)
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 pounds littleneck clams (about 24) or cockles (about 32), scrubbed
2 pounds large clams, shucked, clams removed and chopped (I used a food processor and lightly pulsed 3 times)
12 ounces linguine or spaghetti
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions
This step can be done in advance…
Take the chopped clams, sous vide @ 179F for 20 minutes, then (do not removed from vacuum sealed bag) give them an ice bath to stop the cooking process. These can be stored for a couple of days in the vacuum sealed bag prior to using, By gently cooking the very large clams sous vide they became incredibly tender, where large clams are often chewy. SUBSTITUTE OPTION: fresh chopped clams or canned clams
Once you’re ready to get started…
Separate the chopped clams from the clam juice, you should have about 1 cup of chopped clams & 1 cup of juice
Bring 2 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and 10 cups water to a boil in a large pot
Pulse 3 garlic cloves in a food processor until chopped. Add bread and pulse several times until fine crumbs form
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add breadcrumb mixture and cook, stirring often, until crumbs are golden and crisp, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add lemon zest, season with salt, and toss to combine; set aside.
Wipe out Dutch oven. Using a mandoline slicer if you have one (if not, use a really sharp knife), very thinly slice remaining 9 garlic cloves. Heat ¼ cup oil in Dutch oven over medium. Cook garlic, stirring often, until golden around the edges, about 3 minutes. Add anchovies, if using, and ½ tsp. red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until garlic is golden all over and anchovies are dissolved. Quickly stir in wine and simmer until only a couple of tablespoons of liquid are left in pot. Add clams and toss to combine. Cover and cook until clams are open, 5–7 minutes (about 4 minutes for cockles). Uncover pot and transfer clams to a medium bowl, leaving liquid in pot. If any clams are still closed, cover pot again and cook a few minutes longer, then transfer to bowl with others (discard any that have not opened at this point). Tent clams with foil.
Cook pasta in boiling water 5 minutes. Using a ladle or heatproof measuring cup, scoop out about 2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Using tongs, transfer pasta to pot with clam liquid. Add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Cook, tossing constantly and adding more pasta cooking liquid a splash at a time if needed, until pasta is al dente and sauce is glossy and thick enough to cling to noodles, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Add parsley and butter and toss until butter is melted. Sprinkle about one-third of breadcrumbs over pasta and toss to combine (you can add more or less depending on how much liquid is in bottom of pot—you want them to absorb some of the sauce but not make it dry). Give pasta a taste; you probably won’t need additional salt, but you can add some if you’d like. Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with reserved clams, more breadcrumbs, red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of oil.
NOTES:
I used the bread crumb filling from my stuffed cherry pepper recipe
This recipe in its original form does not use the chopped clams… I think the chopped clams makes this dish perfect
Modified from Original Source: bonappetit.com
