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Spaghetti and Clams with Fresh Tomato Sauce

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Spaghetti and Clams are traditional Italian comfort food – it is the kind of meal I grew up on. Tossed together with fresh tomato sauce and some grated cheese, this no-fuss classic is the definition of simple elegance.

Living the Gourmet: Spaghetti and Clams with Fresh Tomato Sauce

This is a simple, rustic and enjoyable spaghetti dish. There are so many ways to prepare spaghetti with clam sauce and I think I will try all of them for all of you!

I thoroughly enjoyed this meal and yes, as so many meals do it brought back memories of my youth. My father loved fishing and clamming and I loved tagging along as his “fishing buddy”. He found such pleasure in simply casting a line, enjoying a sandwich and a cup of coffee. There is something about the salt air combined with a cup of coffee from a thermos and a simple sandwich. You really find the simple joy of life.

We would bring our catch home; that is if we caught anything…and my mom would create a memorable, yet simple dish that today would be considered “gourmet” fare.

My mother’s cooking simply was the very best. She never wrote anything down and rarely ever used a recipe, so I have to remember a meal by the taste and try to replicate the dish by the flavors I remember in my mind. I don’t quite have this one down as I remember but I will try again to bring the flavors I remember to life.

Living the Gourmet: Spaghetti and Clams with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Spaghetti and Clams with Fresh Tomato Sauce

5 minPrep Time

25 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 1 lb. of fresh clams in their water
  • 5 plum tomatoes - diced
  • 1/2 cup of fresh Italian parsley - chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery - chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic – chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 3 tbs. olive oil
  • Lemon wedges
  • Parmesan or Romano cheese for grating
  • 1 lb. of your favorite spaghetti

Instructions

  1. Heat a large cast iron frying pan with the olive oil; add the diced tomatoes, garlic, celery and parsley.
  2. Simmer on low until the garlic is fragrant; then with a potato masher, gently mash the tomatoes; add the seasonings and the clams with their water; gently simmer on low while preparing the spaghetti.
  3. Drain the spaghetti and add the to the clam sauce; add a drizzle of olive oil, extra red pepper flakes, dried oregano, fresh parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice and grated cheese.
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Enjoy with Love,
Catherine
xo

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Comments

  1. I love pasta and clams. What a great combination. I'm going to try this one too. Love your plans for the weekender. I'll be here. Have a fabulous day Catherine. Big hugs. ♥♥♥
    Reply

  2. This looks wonderful! Your special times with your dad sound so wonderful. I think kids going fishing with adults teaches so many things!! Perseverance and patience, silence, and a chance for long and meaningful talks.
    Reply

  4. Good afternoon Catherine, This is what I am having this evening, but only the white clam sauce. I also like the red with the tomato. Your recipe sounds delizioso! I know what you mean about not writing down the recipes, one of my grandmother's didn't write anything down and it is so hard to get exactly the way they did it or even have the same flavor. That is why I wanted to start this blog so I can gather all the recipes from the family I could find and put it all together for my nieces, nephews, and my son. Love the story about you and your father fishing with hi, and then brought the fish you might have caught to your mom. What a beautiful treasured memory. Amazing and memorable post. Thank you for sharing...Have a blessed and fun weekend... Dottie :)
    Reply

  5. Oh, Catherine. I love the memories of you going with your Dad and your Mom cooking something special with your catch of the day! ;) This recipe reminds me that one of the first recipes I "conquered" when I moved out on my own was Linguine with clam sauce... I thought it was the cat's meow! I'm sure yours is much better! Thank you for sharing your memories and reminding me of one of my own. Have a wonderful weekend. blessings ~ tanna
    Reply

  6. My husband and I are looking at this picture saying what special occasion can we make this for ....yum!! We decided that the fact that our mortgage payment just went down is good enough reason for us!!
    Reply

  8. What wonderful memories, Catherine. I remember going clamming with our feet like it was yesterday. My mother use to take us to this little beach by the hospital and we would run in and with our little feet dig for clams. There were so many clams then Catherine. Our hands would get full and we'd run back to the beach with our "treasures" and put them in a pail of salt water from the ocean. Oh those were the days:) My father use to take us to Sheephead Bay and we would fish off the bridge, I think. It was such a long time ago. Oh to be able to get fresh clams here in central PA. I do miss the fresh fish we were so use to getting on Long Island. Your Spaghetti and Clam Sauce looks so inviting. I am actuallly partial to clam sauce with tomatoes but my sister always preferred it white, lol...we use to "fight" over which was better:) Thank you so much for sharing, Catherine and thank you for inviting us to the LTG Weekender. I'm already a subscriber:) P.S. I'll be pinning this:) Catherine I'm going to be posting an important Pinterest tip on Sunday. If those "Picked For You Pins" have been frustrating you, I may have found a way to avoid them. Tune in...
    Reply

  14. Catherine, We've never done anything with clams at home although we do like them. This entree looks good and worthy of a try for dinner one night! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
    Reply

  19. This is a beautiful recipe, and I enjoyed reading about your childhood memories of fishing with your father. "He found such pleasure in simply casting a line, enjoying a sandwich and a cup of coffee." Finding pleasure in the simple things is the best thing a person can do for themselves and everyone around them. Very nice post.
    Reply

  21. Your dish of Spaghetti and Clams looks mouthwatering! I have made White Clam Sauce before, but I love the idea of a red Clam Sauce. Beautiful, Catherine!!
    Reply

  22. I have to confess to never having tried clams....not entirely sure I want to either...if someone served them to me I would certainly give them a try but They just don't inspire anything in me to go and purchase some!! I'm sure the dish is wonderful though.
    Reply

  23. Saving this for summer, when both ripe tomatoes and local seafood will be at the farmer's market! Because sometimes it's all about a simple combination of the best ingredients...
    Reply

  27. So nice to know that you also enjoyed a little fishing with your father too Catherine. Brings back so many childhood memories! My mother is like yours in that no recipes were/are ever used! Such a gift! Your pasta looks like something I could just jump into and devour! Hugs, Roz
    Reply

  29. your recipe looks soooo good. Do you thing canned clams with fish stock would work---or don't even think about trying it that way??
    Reply

  34. They say flavors and scent bring out memories, and yours are worth sharing. Thanks for linking up at Thursday Favorite Things, please visit us again next week!
    Reply

  35. No fresh clams here but I was looking for new ideas for the tins of smoked clams I buy that also used up some of my tomatoes and I think this is just the ticket. Off to the kitchen I go!
    Reply

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