Pasta with White Clam Sauce

If you like Boston Clam chowder, than you'll loooove this white clam spaghetti!

Actually, in all honesty, I do not adore clam chowder because of the super thick cream sauce. It always leaves me feeling like I have a rock in my tummy. I do however adore clams! Fresh clams would be wonderful in this, but I decided to cheat a little and use canned clams from Trader Joe's.

If you are lucky enough to get your hands on some fresh clams, make sure you do your research about choosing good ones and how to prepare them. I got this recipe from Anja's Food for thought and played with it just a little. I also doubled the recipe. This was so good the next day!  

You will need:

SERVES 4   TIME  10 MINUTES

14 oz Whole Grain Spaghetti

2 tablespoons real butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons minced anchovies

1 cup celery stalks, chopped

2-14 oz. cans clams  OR 8 oz/200g fresh clam meat

3/4 cup fish stock OR clam juice

1/4 cup Creme Fraiche or cream ( I used Half and Half, to cut a few calories )

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon Herbamare (or Bragg's All)  seasoning

Freshly ground pepper to taste

grated Parmesan to garnish

* tip:  stay away from salt, anchovies are salty enough. flavour with Herbamare which is a natural blend of yummy veggies that go perfect with this dish. 


Putting it all together:
Cook spaghetti according to instructions.

Meanwhile, heat butter over medium heat in a pan. Saute minced garlic and anchovies for 2-3 minutes, then add celery stalks. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add fish stock/clam juice and clam meat, scraping browned bits off bottom of pan with a broad spoon. Bring to a boil, then simmer for another few minutes. Take off the heat. Stir in cream and season with herbamare and fresh cracked pepper.

Drain cooked spaghetti. Transfer back to the pot and stir in the the clam sauce. Transfer to plates and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.