There are several different ways to make a clam sauce. A more traditional and testosterone-fueled method, most commonly prepared these days in my kitchen, is found here. But this is how I first made it, and more closely resembles the white clam sauce I remember from my youth, which involved cream and was rich, decadent, and therefore never at all served at home. I knew how to steam clams before I knew how to make white clam sauce, so this preparation flows from that. Because the clam liquor itself is the basis for the sauce, you don’t want to cook it down too much, or it will get concentrated and too salty. The cream and butter should balance that out. I wouldn’t attempt this unless you’re sure that you’re working with the very freshest of clams.
This recipe is simple enough, but must be done in two distinct stages: one to prepare the clams and one to prepare the pasta. The classic pasta for this is linguine, but fetuccine and spaghetti both work well, as would presumably any long pasta.
Ingredients:
For the clams:
- 24 little neck clams
- 1 medium onion or 1 leek, chopped rough
- 2 cloves garlic, garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- handful of parsley stems
- two sprigs fresh thyme
- 10 peppercorns
- 4 coriander seeds
- ¼-cup white wine
For the pasta:
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 2 cloves, minced
- filtered clam liquor from recipe above (no more than 2 cups)
- 2 TBS butter
- ½ pint heavy cream
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- Clam meat from recipe above, chopped into 2 or 3 pieces each if large enough and desired
- 1 box of linguini
Directions:
Start by cooking the clams. Place them all in a large, deep sauce pan or pot. Add all of the ingredients, plus enough water to come up to an inch or so on the sides. Cover and turn the heat to high. The clams are finished when they have just started to open. If they’re wide open, you’ve gone way to far – so don’t walk away from this. It should only take about 3 – 5 minutes.
Let’s just get something out in the open right now. Almost all recipes that deal with clams say to discard ones that do not open. This is not entirely inaccurate, but it’s also bullshit, since it’s not telling the whole story. Yes, if a clam is dead before you cook it, it will not open. Similarly, if the clam has been ravaged by worms and its shell is filled with mud or sludge-formerly-known-as-clam, it will not open. However, a live, healthy, delicious clam might also not open when it’s cooked. You won’t know the reason until you’ve opened it yourself. Sometimes, the weight of another clam (or several clams) in the pot prevents a shell from opening. Other times, who knows what happens, but it’s easy enough to find out whether its fucked or not.
Usually, there will be 3 or 4 that do not open in any given batch. You should open these yourself once they’re cooked. You can do so either by lifting with your fingers (there should be little to no resistance) or by sliding a knife lengthwise in between the shells. If you encounter any resistance to the knife going in between the shells, or if the shells clamp down ever so slightly, then that clam is not dead! Return him to the pot and dispatch with him immediately, as he is likely suffering (he’s just been sitting in boiling water and somehow did not die) and that’s on you. If the clam was dead or it’s filled with mud, you will know. Inspect and smell each clam that you have to open manually – if they’re off, there will be NO DOUBT. A rancid clam smells terrible, and yeah, it’s too bad that you’ve cooked that into what will be your sauce, but there’s no chance of accidentally eating the clam itself if you check it out in advance. Your nose will tell you when there’s a clam that’s not worth eating, not the status of its shell. Way more often than not, you’ll open up a clam that is perfectly fine, and it would have been a shame to throw it out. If you are getting 1 or more dead or discard-worthy clam per batch, why are you making this recipe? Your fish market is obviously not reputable, and if there are consistently dead or unusable clams in your batches, then the rest of them are likely not far behind; that is to say, if there are dead clams in your pot, the others are likely to be almost dead. I generally only cook with clams that I’ve dug up myself, but this isn’t necessarily realistic for everyone, or even myself, on occasion. So you may occasionally end up with the dead clam, but it should be less than once per batch. The old rule of thumb about discarding clams that don’t open is just that: old. It’s based in truth but errs on the side of caution, and my guess is it dates back to the days when very fresh seafood wasn’t as readily available. My rule of thumb is simpler: if you can’t access fresh ingredients for a recipe, cook something else.
Bottom line, for this recipe, you should get your hands on 24 clams and you should be using all 24 of them, even if only 19 or 20 open up when you cook them.
So, back to the action: remove the clams from the pot with a slotted spoon when they’re done, and when they’re cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells, which you can discard. If they’re steamers, you’ve got to remove the sock, and make sure that you rinse them well after doing so. We don’t want a single speck of sand in this dish, and there’s no reason there needs to be. If you’re chopping the clams, do so now; either way, hold all the clam meat in a small bowl and try not to eat too many as you prepare the rest of the dish.
Next you must prepare the liquid that will become the base of your pasta sauce. Strain the liquid in the pot through a fine mesh strainer or chinois, looking carefully through the solids for any clams that became dislodged from their shells and have been sitting at the bottom, hidden in the murky liquid (a preference they seem to share even after death). Discard the solids.
At this point, I usually strain the liquid even further, since there is usually very fine sludge or sand sitting at the bottom. I line a fine mesh strainer with a single layer of coffee filters, then pour the clam juice slowly through. This takes a bit of time (don’t pour so fast that you break the filter) but it is well worth it. You should end up with a clear, yellowish-gray liquid that is completely free of particles but is delicately and intricately flavored. This is the base for your sauce.
If you haven’t already done so, put a large pot of water on to boil. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the shallots and garlic when it’s hot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have softened but not browned. Add the strained clam liquid, stirring as the olive oil in the pan forms pools on the surface of the liquid. Add freshly cracked black pepper, the red pepper flakes, and the leaves from your sprig of fresh thyme. Do not add any salt.
Boil the liquid briskly until it is reduced by about half, then mount with the butter. When the butter is incorporated, add the cream. You don’t necessarily need to add all of the cream – add just enough to get the right consistency. The cream is being added here to help with thickness of the sauce, to add richness, and to counteract the saltiness of the clam juice. But this is not a cream-based sauce, so it should not be the dominant element.
You may start the pasta around the same time that you add the cream. While the pasta is cooking, continue to cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it is reduced somewhat and thickened. When the pasta is about 30 seconds from being done, add the clams and the chopped parsley, stir for about 20 seconds so they’re thoroughly and evenly incorporated throughout the sauce, then turn off the heat. Drain the pasta, add to the sauce and toss, then serve right away.
You do not need to serve this pasta with cheese.
The Grumpy Gastronome 
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