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Clam Sauce with Tomatoes and Garlic

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on September 14, 2011

Time

45 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Clam Sauce with Tomatoes and Garlic

Ingredients

3 pounds littleneck clams or manila clams, thoroughly scrubbed¼ cup dry white wine 1 bay leaf 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 medium cloves garlic, minced2 cups whole tomatoes, canned, chopped coarse with liquid reserved1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon driedSalt and ground black pepper

Before You Begin

If you can, make this sauce with tiny Manila clams, which are particularly tender and sweet. As a second choice, buy small littlenecks. If only large clams are available, chop them into bite-size pieces. Serve with linguine or spaghetti.

Instructions

  1. Bring clams, wine, and bay leaf to boil in large soup kettle over high heat, then lower heat to steam clams until most have opened, about 5 minutes. Remove clams and set aside, discarding clamshells, bay leaf, and any clams that have not opened. Strain liquid through paper towel-lined sieve and reserve. Wipe out soup kettle with another paper towel.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat in the now empty soup kettle. Add garlic; sauté until golden, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their liquid; simmer to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add strained clam broth and oregano. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly and flavors blend, 5 to 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return clams to kettle; heat to warm through. Toss sauce with cooked pasta and serve immediately.
Clam Sauce with Tomatoes and Garlic

Clam Sauce with Tomatoes and Garlic

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

45 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 pounds littleneck clams or manila clams, thoroughly scrubbed
¼ cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 cups whole tomatoes, canned, chopped coarse with liquid reserved
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt and ground black pepper

Ingredients

3 pounds littleneck clams or manila clams, thoroughly scrubbed
¼ cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 cups whole tomatoes, canned, chopped coarse with liquid reserved
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt and ground black pepper

Ingredients

3 pounds littleneck clams or manila clams, thoroughly scrubbed
¼ cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 cups whole tomatoes, canned, chopped coarse with liquid reserved
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt and ground black pepper

Why This Recipe Works

It took very little work to turn clams into a quick pasta sauce. For our clam sauce recipe, we simply steamed Manila clams or small littlenecks in wine, strained the resulting broth to use in a simple sauce, and tossed both with linguine or spaghetti.

Before You Begin

If you can, make this sauce with tiny Manila clams, which are particularly tender and sweet. As a second choice, buy small littlenecks. If only large clams are available, chop them into bite-size pieces. Serve with linguine or spaghetti.

Instructions

  1. Bring clams, wine, and bay leaf to boil in large soup kettle over high heat, then lower heat to steam clams until most have opened, about 5 minutes. Remove clams and set aside, discarding clamshells, bay leaf, and any clams that have not opened. Strain liquid through paper towel-lined sieve and reserve. Wipe out soup kettle with another paper towel.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat in the now empty soup kettle. Add garlic; sauté until golden, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their liquid; simmer to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add strained clam broth and oregano. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly and flavors blend, 5 to 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return clams to kettle; heat to warm through. Toss sauce with cooked pasta and serve immediately.

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