Simple Pasta With Clam Sauce

For some reason people get intimidated by the idea of making this, what is actually a very simple dish. I think that people have this notion that if it's seafood, it's difficult to execute, which can be true, but not in this case. You can of course, also go with all fresh ingredients, but it's also easy to keep the ingredients on hand for the version I made tonight.

We'll start out with some well-chopped onion, a handful or two, toss that into a frying pan with some olive oil. I used a vidalia, but a white or yellow onion would be fine, even a red onion might be nice. Get them softened up and browned a bit.

Now we're gonna crank open a little can of anchovies. I usually get flat fillets but accidentally picked up rolled fillet wrapped around capers. No biggie, worked fine. In fact, capers are called for in many other folks' versions of this dish. Some people have a textural issue with anchovy fillet though. There are teeny little bones that pretty much liquify in the pan anyway, but you might prefer some anchovy paste instead. If not though, get the anchovy broken up well and mixed in with the oil and onions. Use the olive oil from the can of anchovy too. Pour it all right in there.

Now we're gonna add butter. I cut a big hunk off from a brick, maybe about a stick, stick and a half of butter. Sounds like a lot, but don't let your heart stop just be reading that. Butter is not as unhealthy as you think, and a lot more healthy than the substitute oils they use in the canned versions of clam sauce. It's also probably less butter per serving than a prepared box of mac and powdered cheese. But if you're still really health conscious, just pour in a generous amount of more olive oil. I prefer the butter taste with the clams, but it's not uncommon to make this dish with no butter at, just olive oil. But in that case you should probably go with a higher quality olive oil than the middle of the road stuff I keep in my kitchen.

With the butter melted down, toss in a tablespoonful or two of chopped garlic. Fresh is fine, but I just keep a big jar of the pre-chopped stuff in my fridge. Keep right on stirring. We don't want anything to stick or burn. By now too, the last bits of anchovy should be well incorporated giving a brown hue to the sauce.

Clams. Gotta have the clams of course. Just about every recipe I have ever read for this call for a bottle of clam juice too. I say that's a waste of money. Just use the juice right from your cans of clams. That's right, DON'T drain that juice off into the sink like you would with a can of tuna. Pour the clams into the pan right along with all the juice. I only had two cans, which might have been enough, but was happy to find a third. A fourth wouldn't have been wasted either, but the three was enough.

Now some seasoning. I used a generous amount of parsley, some basil, a bit of oregano, and a quick shake of hot red pepper in descending order. Some folks might like to add some lemon zest and/or a good shot of white wine here, but I didn't have either on hand and it turned out fine.

Let all of that boil away for a few minutes, but we don't want to reduce the sauce too much because we are going to finish cooking it right in with the pasta. Cook your pasta to just a tad underdone for your preference, then drain. I like my pasta a little softer, to I cooked to al dente and poured it into the colander. Tonight I used fettuccine, which I actually prefer over the traditional linguine with clam sauce. A long cut is generally preferred though over something like elbows or twists. Throw a little of your clam sauce into the bottom of the pot, throw your hot pasta back in, top that with the rest of your sauce. Cook on lowered heat to let all that clam-juicy sauce soak into the pasta a little. Letting it sit for a few minutes even after you have killed the heat helps too. My second serving was actually a bit more tasty, lol.

Plate in your favorite pasta dish and sprinkle with some grated Romano-Parmesan. Simple as that, dinner is served. A green leafy salad and some nice garlic bread are always great accompaniments to just about any pasta meal.

Here's your grocery list: Box of pasta, three cans of clams, small onion, garlic, one flat tin of anchovy fillets, olive oil, butter. If you don't have herbs and spices at home, get some parsley at least, maybe some basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, or whatever herbs and spices you might prefer. I might try a little tarragon next time myself.

Easy Peasy Crabby Fettuccine

Imitation crab has a bit of a negative reputation as a cheap, un-authentic ingredient that culinary connoisseurs look down on with disdain. Of course, it doesn't really compare with some nice hot, fresh King Crab legs at your favorite seafood joint, but it's a very easy protein to work with, and keeps well for a long time in a vacuum sealed pack. Even longer in the freezer of course. Grab a few packages when it's on sale, and stick them in the freezer as a backup for when your groceries are getting low, or you feel in the mood for something other than the run-of-the mill beef, pork, and chicken routine. It's actually a pretty versatile ingredient, that you have probably enjoyed in Chinese food, in Sushi, or in the crab salad from your local deli. Imitation crab is actually a version of Surimi, a seafood product that is not looked down on in Asia any more than we would look down on ground beef or sausage here in the West. It can be a kid-friendly food too, is pre-cooked, and can be eaten hot or cold.

But let's cut to the chase now, and talk about what I did with it last night. We'll go ahead an put some water on to boil our pasta. The fettuccine worked great for this but you can always try out your own shapes of pasta of course, to your own preference. I do think that a wide, flat cut will work best though. I cooked a whole box, but only used about half of it in the final preparation, and put what was left in the fridge for another use. Normally, I like my pasta closer to the mushy side, especially for rich, heavy sauces, but for this I kept it a little more firm.

In a sauté pan melt down about a half stick of butter. Keep a bottle of olive oil handy and don't be shy with it as we move along here, since it will really be what makes up the “sauce” for this recipe, along with the melted butter of course. I use a middle of the road cold-pressed olive oil, but some folks may prefer something more top-shelf since, as I said, this is the prime liquid component that will dress the pasta when we are finished. Throw in your package of chunk crab meat, about a pound, for some sizzle. Next we'll throw in a few handfuls of sugar snap peas. These are basically peas still in the pods. I used frozen ones, about a quarter of the bag, and it brought down the temp of the pan a lot, so you might want to thaw first, but I just kept the heat on high to bring it all back up to temp. Keep it all drenched with olive oil and throw in a few big spoonfuls of chopped garlic, but not too early or it will burn. I used jarred to keep it quick and easy, but you can use fresh of course if you prefer. Season pretty well with fresh cracked black pepper. Sauté thoroughly, letting the crab chunks loosen up and fall apart. I beat up those chunks with my spoon a little to to help them break apart some more.

A quick side note here on the imitation crab meat again. You may find that you like some brands better than others, as I have, but I always try to find a twofer or bogo deal. The chunks I find are the most versatile, but you could always chop up some crab sticks too and I'm sure it would work out fine.

Now the finishing touch to the sauté, I gave it a nice dusting with dried parsley. Make sure there is plenty of oil in there so that it will coat all of your pasta. Depending on how you pull off the timing, you may have to cover and hold for a bit until your pasta is finished. Once it is, pour your sauté over it and toss. Alternately, you might plate individually, pasta, topped with a portion of your crab sauté. Top it all of with a good dusting of nice salty grated Parmesan and Romano blend. I was stuck with the cheap store-brand stuff in the canister, but it worked fine. I actually prefer it to the name brand actually, but I can be a cheese snob too, and do like the real, fresh grated stuff when I can afford it. But overall this is a good recipe to keep cheap, easy peasy, and done in a snap. As quick as it takes to cook pasta is about how quick you can have this dish done.

Since it's not drowning in a thick, heavy sauce, and you can actually taste the pasta, some might call this a “light” tasting dish. The snap peas add to the freshness, and their sweetness pairs with the sweetness of the crab meat. Those flavors pop against the saltiness of the cheese and we get a little zing from the black pepper. The flavor profile rounds out nicely then with savory garlic throughout and the richness of lip-moistening oils bringing us back full circle to the semolina platform.

Here's your shopping list:

Fettuccine, imitation crab meat, snap peas, olive oil, butter, garlic, black pepper, parsley, grated cheese.