Linguine with Clams, Cherry Tomatoes, and Capers
By Julia Collin DavisonPublished on April 1, 2024
Time
45 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Discard any raw clams with unpleasant odors, with cracked or broken shells, or with open shells that won’t close when tapped. Because the saltiness of fresh clams can vary, we add less salt than usual to the pasta cooking water.
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven (or brasier) over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook until softened and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in wine and lemon zest and simmer until liquid is reduced and syrupy, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and clams, cover, and increase heat to high. Cook until clams open, 4 to 8 minutes.
- Using slotted spoon, transfer clams to large bowl (discard any unopened clams) and cover to keep warm. Stir tomatoes, capers, and lemon juice into liquid left in skillet and simmer over high heat until tomatoes are softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan, 1 tablespoon parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter; sauce will look a bit watery. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover, and set aside until pasta is cooked.
- Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot oven for pasta. Add pasta and 2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring often, until just shy of al dente. Drain pasta, add to sauce, and simmer over high heat until pasta is al dente and sauce has thickened nicely, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to serving platter (if desired), top with clams, garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, and serve.
Time
45 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
This simple but classic pasta dish is a wonderful canvas for personal expression, as long as you get the basics right. First, it’s crucial to steam the clams right in the sauce so that all of their flavor winds up in the finished dish. Second, the pasta should finish cooking in the sauce so that it can absorb some flavor and help thicken the sauce with its starch. In order to prevent the clams from overcooking (and make it easy to stir the pasta into the sauce to finish cooking) the clams are removed from the sauce once they’ve cooked through and then nestled into the finished dish at the end. The sauce itself is where personal preferences can shine through, and this version is bright with the flavors of lemon, white wine, and cherry tomatoes.
Before You Begin
Discard any raw clams with unpleasant odors, with cracked or broken shells, or with open shells that won’t close when tapped. Because the saltiness of fresh clams can vary, we add less salt than usual to the pasta cooking water.
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven (or brasier) over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook until softened and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in wine and lemon zest and simmer until liquid is reduced and syrupy, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and clams, cover, and increase heat to high. Cook until clams open, 4 to 8 minutes.
- Using slotted spoon, transfer clams to large bowl (discard any unopened clams) and cover to keep warm. Stir tomatoes, capers, and lemon juice into liquid left in skillet and simmer over high heat until tomatoes are softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan, 1 tablespoon parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter; sauce will look a bit watery. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover, and set aside until pasta is cooked.
- Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot oven for pasta. Add pasta and 2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring often, until just shy of al dente. Drain pasta, add to sauce, and simmer over high heat until pasta is al dente and sauce has thickened nicely, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to serving platter (if desired), top with clams, garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, and serve.
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