Shrimp and Red Clam Sauce Linguini
On our second date, my husband Scott cooked dinner for me. Nothing was more sexy than a handsome man arriving at my house with an arm load of groceries and a bottle of wine. What he prepared was a beautiful simple shrimp spaghetti that I later learned was straight out of a small pasta cookbook that his mother gave him. It truly only had 6 ingredients and I was incredibly impressed. The memory of sitting on my kitchen counter with a glass of wine watching him create and chat with me will never fade. In hindsight, he was on a mission to really impress me. It worked!!!
Over the years, I have expanded that shrimp recipe to make it my own. I will share the simple version of his shrimp spaghetti with fresh tomatoes soon. The simplicity of his original dish can’t be replaced but this version is a bit more hardy. The red clam sauce has a meaty consistency that pairs so beautifully with the shrimp. On cold nights, this dish is used at our house to warm our souls and satisfy our meaty pasta craving with a healthier twist.
It can be made as an easy weeknight dish if you use your favorite jar of sauce. Here is my favorite. A pantry staple, either doctored up or on it’s own.
Use ready made pasta or go for it and make your own! Homemade pasta recipe here!
Total cook time 20 minutes and it’s delicious!
Shrimp and Red Clam Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large fennel bulb, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 16 oz jar of your favorite marinara sauce I like Cucina Antica Tomato Basil, garlic free. See link above.
- 2 6.5 oz cans of chopped clams in juice
- 1 lb fresh peeled shrimp
- 1 lb fresh sea or bay scallops optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Add 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and saute 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a simmer.
- Add jar of sauce and clam with juice. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 20 minutes or reduce until thick. Longer if you have the time! Makes it even better.
- Cook pasta according to directions.
- Serve over spaghetti noodles. Top with additional red pepper flakes and parmesan if desired.