Cooking with Class: Dinner for Two – Seafood and Pasta
Carmine L. Calabro Jr. – Resident Chef
This is an easy to make sensual seafood and pasta dish sure to please the most distinctive palates in about a half-hour.
Preparation requires about 20 minutes and cooking time takes another 10 minutes.
1 lb of Shrimp Size 10-16
12 Little Neck Clams
½ cup of Fresh Basil
½ cup of Fresh Parsley
6 cloves of Fresh Garlic
1 cup of Clam Juice
¼ cup of White Wine
3 Tbs. of Lemon Juice
¼ cup of Sea Salt
4 Tbs.of Ground Peppercorn Mélange (black, pink, green, white)
1 Tsp.of Hot Red Pepper (Dried)
½ cup of Olive Oil (Classico)
1/2 lb of Fine or Thin Linguine (DeCecco)
Clean and chop basil. Clean and chop parsley. Mince garlic. Set Aside.
Clean and prepare shrimp by removing complete shell and tails.
Butterfly shrimp and set aside.
Lightly steam clams and remove clams and reserve liquid.
Chop clams and set aside.
In a large sauté pan add ¼ cup of oil, sea salt, a pinch of hot red pepper and peppercorn mélange and bring to a medium heat.
Next, add the chopped fresh basil and chopped fresh parsley to the mix, gently stirring with a wooden spoon until the garlic begins to melt.
Boil pasta in a large pot, adding salt, oil and a pinch of fresh basil to the water.
Just before removing the pasta from the pot (in about 5 minutes).
Reserve ¼ cup of the flavored pasta water.
Drain and rinse pasta then set aside.
Next add the shrimp and gently raise the heat to sear in the flavor of the sauce. Toss lightly to brown all sides of the shrimp.
Add the chopped clams to the mix, toss lightly and begin to reduce the heat.
Blend the reserve of clam juice with the flavored pasta water, lemon juice and white wine.
Add it slowly to the shrimp and clams, gently stirring and coating the seafood.
Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat or until shrimp are completely white.
Apportion the seafood and sauce and serve.
