Manhattan Clam Linguine

This clam linguine has a trick that most recipes skip: cooking the pasta in clam liquor mixed with the boiling water. The drained liquid from the canned clams goes right into the pasta pot, so the noodles absorb that briny, oceanic flavor from the inside out.

The sauce is a cream-and-wine base, not a tomato one despite the Manhattan name. Butter, garlic, basil, thyme, and parsley warm together with the drained clams, then hot cream and white wine get poured over the top. Tossed with the hot linguine and finished with Parmesan and softened butter, it coats every strand in a silky, savory glaze.

Keeping the clams on low heat just until warmed through is critical. Canned clams are already cooked, and further cooking turns them from tender to rubbery in seconds.

Pro Tips

• Save every drop of clam liquor from the can. It’s concentrated clam stock and adds more flavor than any amount of clam meat alone.
• Boil the cream and wine together before pouring over the clam mixture. This reduces and thickens the liquid slightly so it clings to the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom.
• Toss the sauce with hot, just-drained linguine. The starchy surface of fresh-cooked pasta grabs the sauce better than rinsed or cooled pasta.
• Use a warm platter. Cold plates cool the sauce and it thickens into a gluey coating instead of staying silky.

Variations

• Red Manhattan style: Add a can of crushed tomatoes to the cream-wine mixture for a true Manhattan-style red sauce version.
• Shrimp and clam linguine: Add cooked shrimp along with the clams for a more substantial seafood pasta.