Pasta, Rice & Grains, Recipes, Seafood/Fish

Twirl | Linguine with Clams in Sake Red Chili Sauce

Are you a twirler or a slurper? Use a fork or a spoon? Or both?

When it comes to pasta, I get a kick out of watching people (especially kids) transfer strands of pasta to their mouth. I myself prefer the fork-twirl-with-spoon method, and have been trying to teach this technique to my children, but it is a skill they struggle to perfect. Perhaps it’s for the best, because apparently, using fork with spoon is actually considered poor form. Ask around and you’ll surely incite a debate, even amongst Italians. But I recently learned that while it is proper etiquette to provide diners with a spoon to help toss pasta and sauce on the plate or bowl, purists and pasta experts use the fork alone to twirl and eat their pasta. Who knew?

I thought of this the other night when I made Linguine with Clams. But I threw those rules out the window. After all, this was Linguine with Clams in a Sake Red Chili Sauce. This Asian spin on the Italian favorite is actually more understated than it sounds, but I figured it would permit the Filipino etiquette of eating with fork and spoon to this bowl of pasta.

Discussion on how to eat it aside, I have to say, I really need to remember to make this dish more than once a year. It’s so simple and effortless, it is the perfect weeknight meal. I promised my family I would throw this into the repertoire more often…which I suppose means the kids can practice perfecting that fork twirl.

Linguine with Clams in Sake Red Chili Sauce

Serves 4-6

1 lb linguine
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup sake (or your favorite white wine)
1 cup clam stock
1/2 teaspoon red chili paste (add more if you really like kick)
3-4 lbs (depending on how much you love clams!) Littleneck or Manila clams
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with Kosher salt and cook linguine until just al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, and saute for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until the garlic starts to turn golden. Add sake and clam stock and allow the liquid to reduce for about three minutes. Add clams to the pan, cover and let cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until the clams open up. Discard any unopened clams. Stir in the butter and parsley. Add linguine to the pan and toss.

Enjoy!

by Liren on March 16, 2011

25 Comments

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Brian @ A Thought For Food — March 17, 2011 @ 4:31 am (#
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Have I shared with you my love for linguine with clam sauce? When my family became Kosher when I turned 11, I so missed this dish and ordered it every chance I could when we’d go out to eat (my parents weren’t particularly strict). I’ve only made it a handful of times myself… usually over the summer when we go clamming on Cape Cod. That’s right… we get our own clams. Doesn’t get much better than that…

And now you have me yearning for summer… sigh.
norma823 — March 17, 2011 @ 4:50 am (#
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Everytime I see a dish I say that is one of my favorites…well, I do love me a plate on linguini and clams. I make my traditionally with white wine, but as a lover of sake this will be a different approach and cannot wait to try your version.

I use both spoon and fork and also enjoy watching children eat their pasta. They all have their different ways…

Today is ST. Patricks, so it’s corned beef, cabbage and potatoes…but the weekend you will find me in China Town looking for my clammies…
Belinda @zomppa — March 17, 2011 @ 5:46 am (#
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Oh, this is delicious! I love slurping…I try to twirl but I lose patience b/c what I really like is slurping!! What a perfect combination with the chili.
Christina of Form V Artisan — March 17, 2011 @ 6:56 am (#
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Well doesn’t this just look amazing! I could go for some of that right about now…and it’s 9:55 in the morning over here. Yikes!
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean — March 17, 2011 @ 7:16 am (#
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yum!! clam linguine is one of my all-time favorite meals. i love making it spicy!!
Joy — March 17, 2011 @ 8:21 am (#
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That looks wonderful. I am craving pasta now.
Roxan — March 17, 2011 @ 9:13 am (#
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I think you like the fork and spoon method because you’re filipina? ;] I got a kick out of that when I was in the philippines. I never mastered eating pasta with a fork and spoon. I just twirl some up with my fork and then slurp up whatever got missed in the twirl. It makes me feel like a barbarian sometimes, but I don’t mind.
Firefly — March 17, 2011 @ 10:26 am (#
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It looks perfect and yummy! Wish I had clams to make it today :)
Rochelle (Acquired Taste) — March 17, 2011 @ 11:22 am (#
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I never realized that it was “wrong” to use a spoon to help twirl your pasta around a fork. I always thought when I was doing that (about 80% of the time as long as nobody that would care was around) I was using bad manners!

Oh well, from the sounds/looks of this clam linguine (love the sake inclusion!) I think I could just forget the utensils all together and just dig in!!
Magic of Spice — March 17, 2011 @ 12:06 pm (#
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Beautiful recipe! I just use a fork, but then I am lame :)
Charissa — March 17, 2011 @ 3:18 pm (#
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Ooh, I wish I could afford seafood. This clam dish looks epic. Thanks for sharing!
egb — March 17, 2011 @ 5:20 pm (#
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Great post. Looks delicious!
Monet — March 17, 2011 @ 10:06 pm (#
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Oh Ryan and I would float up to heaven if we were served this meal. I know what I want to make over the weekend! We tend to twirl our pasta on our fork, but I’ve even been known to use my hands if I can’t get a strand to go where I want it to (oops!) Thank you for sharing this delicious dish. I hope you have a beautiful Friday. The weekend is nearly here!
Paula - bell'alimento — March 18, 2011 @ 6:54 am (#
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You know I adore Linguine & Clams! And bc you asked…I’m in the fork only camp ; ) I LOVE your spicy sake and red chili additions! And your fotos always make me swoon Liren! Is it summer yet ; )
Celia — March 18, 2011 @ 8:03 am (#
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Linguine with clam sauce is always amazing, but the use of sake instead of white wine is pure genius…
Amanda L. (Tales from a Kitchen Misfit) — March 18, 2011 @ 4:54 pm (#
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Such a classic recipe with a great twist!
Debi (Table Talk) — March 19, 2011 @ 5:34 am (#
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I love how you swapped out Italian red pepper flakes for chile paste & white wine for sake—fun twist!
p.s. I like to use a fork and spoon to twirl too!
Food Frenzy — March 19, 2011 @ 7:08 am (#
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I am very intrigued to taste this dish with Sake Red Chili sauce. I love linguine with clams and this opens a whole new opportunity to appreciate it even more. Congrats on the top 9.

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Kim- Liv Life — March 19, 2011 @ 8:35 am (#
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Definitely twirler!!
Gorgeous photos once again. My husband would be back for seconds!! Love it!
Gwen~healthymamma — March 19, 2011 @ 10:17 am (#
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I’m really loving this recipe! A wonderful excuse to buy some sake at the store today!
I’m craving this for breakfast now. ;)
Julie@browncookie — March 19, 2011 @ 8:12 pm (#
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Trying this one! Beautiful photography. I love to cook with pasta and clams too but always choose a marinara sauce. For a change, this will be very intriguing. Thanks for sharing! Julie
Priscilla - She's Cookin' — March 19, 2011 @ 9:49 pm (#
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I twirl the pasta in a spoon and then slurp it :) Clams and linguine, in all its briny simplicity, is one of my favorites, and the sake instead of white wine is a nice twist. Makes me want some right now!
Olga @ MangoTomato — March 20, 2011 @ 3:44 pm (#
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what a gorgeous dish! and such clean flavors! Hope you had a great weekend.
Trinh — April 7, 2011 @ 11:21 am (#
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Thanks for the recipe! This is one of my favorite pasta dish. It is so simple, light and full of flavors. I’ve added pepper flakes for an extra kick because I love spicy food.

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