Saturday, November 10, 2012

Linguine with Spicy Red Clam Sauce

A family favorite, I created this recipe after visiting a bookstore more than 9 years ago and perusing so many Italian cookbooks for a clam sauce recipe. I took what I liked about all of them and made my own. We like things spicy around here, hence the use of jalapeños. This couldn't be any easier.


Printable Recipe Here


Olive oil
5-6 garlic cloves
2 28oz cans whole peeled tomatoes (I like Cento)
6 jalapeño peppers, red or green, seeded & finely chopped
5-6 cans minced or chopped clams (or a mixture of both), drained & liquid reserved
2 tblsp parsley
16oz cooked linguine
Salt to taste
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat oil in sauté pan. Cook garlic until soft & fragrant. Stir in tomatoes & jalapeños. Cook for 3 minutes. Stir in clam liquid & heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. This is when I break down the tomatoes with my immersion blender or you can use a masher. Personal preference as to how chunky you like your sauce.

Stir in clams, parsley & salt. Cover & simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, put up linguine.

Serve with pasta. Add red pepper flakes & parmesan cheese.

Food for thought: It's not unusual for me to use up to 8 peppers, depending on how spicy we want it. I don't seed them anymore since it's quicker and the heat is all in the seeds. So, more recently, I have been using 6 not seeded. Heat seems to be perfect. If the jalapenos are weak, we use more red pepper flakes.