At least once every summer, usually if we are camping in Provincetown, I make it a point to make linguini with clam sauce.
Apparently, Pismo Beach is noted for it's clams, but there are strict regulations on digging them, license requirements, size, quantities, etc. So I figured I'd go to a sea food store and buy some.
Finding a seafood store should be easy along the coast, right. But outside of grocery stores and restaurants, seafood is not so easy to find. We located one nearby, on the Port San Luis Pier near Avila.
They had a very nice variety of fresh fish but I spotted the clams sitting on a bed of ice.
What they had were Littlenecks, a smaller version of Cherrystones or Quahogs, the quintessential chowder clam of New England. I wouldn't be surprised if what I purchased had been flown in direct from Boston or Providence. Go figure.
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| Driving Out On The Pier |
So I ended up making my linguini with (New England) clam sauce.
Scrub the clams, removing any sand. Put on the large pot of salted water to boil. Add the linguini and cook as per directions. In a small pot, steam the clams until they open (never cook or eat a clam that is not shut tight), reserve the liquid. Meanwhile, sauté a few large cloves of fresh garlic in olive oil (adding a little butter is optional). Add the steamed clams and shrimp. Cook till the shrimp turn opaque and pinkish - a few minutes. Add dry white wine and coarsely chopped parsley. Add some clam juice (water from the pot you steamed the clams in) as per your individual taste or to make enough sauce for your linguini. Drain the linguini. Add the sauce, along with the shrimp and clams and clam shells. It is considered poor taste to use grated cheese on this dish - but I love my grated parmigiano or romano, so I always cheese it up.
Until Next Summer,
Ciao!
2 comments:
I'm not a seafood eater but both versions look good! And yes, please don't feel pressured to leave comments on my blog too because I know how frustrating a slow internet connection can be -- it's just not worth the pain!
You're so right about finding the difficulty finding fresh seafood shops along the California Coast. Nothing like New England. When we live in San Diego we had a great place in Mission Bay. They'd even shuck oysters for us every New Year's. Here, we haven lots of fresh seafood markets.
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