Clam Linguine with Shallots, Bacon, & Burst Cherry Tomatoes
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Seafood, Pasta
- Cuisine: Dinner
Description
Clam linguine is the type of dish many people wouldn’t dream of cooking at home. I’m not sure why… uncertainty of cooking shellfish? But, cooking clam linguine is one of the easiest dishes to cook at home, and it’s really not very expensive either! And clams are easy if you know what to look for. Make sure the clam is totally closed. If there is a gap, tap on the clam. If it doesn’t close, toss it. It’s okay if there is a chip in the shell, as long as it is closed, it’s still alive. I like to de-beard the clams (a lot of times they’re already de-bearded) and soak them in cold water with pepper. My husband is convinced the pepper helps make the sneeze any grit out and we’ve always had great success!
Most clam linguine recipes are cooked with a white wine sauce or a very light cream sauce. Maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes and onions or shallots, and that’s it! And trust me, that is totally delish! But, I wanted to change things up just a little.
Besides adding bacon, I also added burst cherry tomatoes. My husband was super sketchy about me adding those. He asked me not to add “too many.” I didn’t listen to him 😜. And I’m glad I didn’t! I love burst cherry tomatoes, and they work really nicely with clam linguine. Added to a very light cream sauce that is thickened just slightly, the tomatoes complemented everything.
We actually found the clams at Costco’s for a pretty reasonable price! But, we also added a can of baby clams plus a bottle of clam juice to give the sauce just a little bit extra brininess. The longest part to this dish is baking the bacon and tomatoes. You could definitely arrange the oven to do them at the same time, or you can bake them back to back. That depends entirely on what you’re most comfortable with!
And that’s it! A delicious and easy Seafood Saturday dinner! I hope you all had a safe and fun day yesterday for all who were celebrating Christmas! I made penne vodka for Christmas dinner ~ it was the request from my husband and son. What did you all have?
Anywho, let me know if you try this yummy dish! A tag me on Instagram!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
5 lbs clams (about 50 clams), debearded and cleaned
1 – 10 oz can of baby clams, fluid retained
8 oz jar of clam juice
10 garlic cloves, minced
1 large shallot, minced
3 TBs butter
3 TBs flour
½ lemon, juiced
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup white wine
1 TB fresh thyme
salt & pepper
red pepper flakes
20 oz cherry tomatoes
8 slices thick cut bacon
16 oz box linguine
shredded Parmesan, to serve
Instructions
Cook the linguine according to the package. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Place the bacon on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Place in a cold oven. Heat the oven to 400°F. Cook the bacon 20 to 22 minutes, until cooked but not crunchy. Remove and place on paper towels to absorb the grease. Once cooled, chop.
Place the tomatoes on a cast iron pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Bake about 20 minutes at 400°F, or until burst.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir until fully incorporated. Slowly add the white wine, stirring constantly, until fully incorporated. Add the clam juice, heavy cream, lemon juice, and the canned baby clams with reserved juice. Bring to a light simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add a pinch or two, or three, of red pepper flakes.
Turn the heat to medium high and add the clams. Cover the saucepan with a lid and cook until the clams start to open. Remove the clams as they open, stirring the rest of the clams and covering as they continue to open.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the linguine and fresh thyme, tossing to coat the pasta in the sauce.
Dish the pasta into bowls and top with clams. Sprinkle with freshly shredded Parmesan. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Keywords: clam linguine, clam linguine with bacon, clam linguine with burst tomatoes, pasta with burst tomatoes, clam pasta
