Mouth Watering Wednesday Recipe: Clam sauce with Bacon & Linguine!

I am forever a day late on this post! I honestly try to get these recipes up on Tuesdays but it never fails...I miss it by a day or so! This week has been insane (no different than any other week) but I've managed to cook every night this week! This recipe is one of my favorites but it may not be for everyone because it involves clams! I love clams and if you cook them right they are wonderful! I ran across this recipe on Pinterest and it's so delicious, easy and cheap to make! I buy fresh clams at Publix and they are usually less than 30 cents a piece so when you pair that with pasta and a few cheap ingredients you have a meal that serves 3-4 people for less than $20! That's a pretty darn good deal if you ask me...and it's seafood which in my opinion always seems more decedent than your piece of chicken or pork!

 

 

Ingredients

• 6-8 pieces of thick cut applewood-smoked bacon, chopped
• 1 box of linguine
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ large onion or 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 – 3 shallots, chopped
• Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 cup clam juice {Bar Harbor brand is the best!}
• ½ cup dry white wine -- I use Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc
• 2 pounds fresh live clams, scrubbed and soaked in salted water for at least 30 minutes
• ½ stick of Butter (I use salted)
• Juice of ½ a large lemon or 1 whole small lemon
• ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel-lined surface.
2. Meanwhile, cook linguine until al dente (as directed on package). Drain, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid, and return pasta to the pot; add the cooking liquid back into the pot and give it a toss. Set aside.
3. Add oil to bacon fat. Add onion and shallots to the skillet and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes, until soft. Add a generous pinch of salt along with the oregano and red pepper. Add garlic, and cook for another minute. Add clam sauce and white wine and let it reduce just slightly – about 2 or 3 minutes. Add clams, cover, and cook just until they open, shaking the pan a couple of times, for about 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in butter, lemon juice, and parsley. Taste and add more salt if needed. (You can also add more red pepper flakes for extra heat.) Serve and enjoy!

 

You can serve this alone with bread or add a green vegetable as a side dish. I usually cook garlic spinach with it because I felt like it complimented the Clam linguine. I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as we have! Remember that you can add, take away and substitute some of these items if you can't find them or don't care for them. You could definitely switch out the type of bacon you like and shallots aren't needed but add a nice touch. Whatever you do...DO NOT skimp on the Bar Harbor clam juice!!

 

For my friends that follow me on Facebook and Instagram please let me know if there is anything you see in my posts that you would like for me to highlight on a blog post! Until next week....take care!

 

 

 

 

 

** I apologize for my picture quality on this post! I had copied them from my IG page **

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