Linguine with Crustacean-Clam Cream Sauce (Tri-C Sauce)

Posted by Shawn Kocher on March 21, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

This meal is amazing and it only takes about 30 minutes in total.  It’s a take on James Peterson’s classic Italian Fettuccine alla Crema di Scampi that he makes with crustacean butter and French langoustines. Crustacean butter takes about 2 hours to make and it involves gently mixing lobster or crayfish shells in butter for 30 minutes until the butter takes on a salmon color.  After that, you reduce the butter with water in an oven for an hour more and then strain it with a fine strainer, removing all of the excess shells.  Though this does sound like a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon [tic], I was able to get something very similar in a fraction of the time.  I also added a few more of my staple ingredients:  garlic, shallots, white wine, and parsley, all of which are great compliments to pasta and seafood.  This will definitely be a featured entrée if I ever do open a restaurant.  If not, I’ll just keep it all to myself, get fat, and die young and happy.  It’s punch-yourself-in-the-face good!
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Linguine with Crustacean-Clam Cream Sauce
  • 1 dozen little neck clams (cleaned)
  • 8 whole crayfish
  • 1/3 pound  scampies or shrimp (fully peeled and deveined)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme
  • 1 small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 3/4 lbs fresh linguine or 1/2 lbs dried (I use a mixture of plain and tomato basil from Ohio City Pasta)
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup of white wine
  • 4 cloves of garlic (pressed and minced)
  • 1 shallot (minced)
  • salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a large deep pan over medium heat until it just begins to brown.  Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the garlic just begins to brown.  Add the white wine and the claims.  Cover and watch.  I love cooking clams because they have internal thermometers.  They literally pop when they are done.  The problem is that they can overcook really quickly and become tough.  This is why I watch.  It should not take longer than 4 minutes.  They pop open, I grab them off the heat.  Perfectly cooked, every time.  They don’t pop, they’re bad, toss them overboard.  Add the cream, thyme, and tomatoes to the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Half-fill a medium stock pot with salted water and bring to a boil.  Place frozen crawfish and shrimp in the water for approximately 2 minutes, or just until the shrimp just begins to turn pink.  Remove the seafood.  The water should begin to form a pink foam at the surface.  Scrape this off with a slotted spoon and discard, unless of course, you are craving a crustacean soufflé.  Now you should have a nicely seasoned water to cook your pasta.  Fresh pasta can overcook really easily, so I would keep it to under 2 minutes in boiling water.  You want to make sure that it separates completely or you will be left with uncooked pasta pinwheels.  As the pasta cooks, combine the seafood with the sauce in the pan.  Baste the seafood with the sauce.  Once the pasta cooks, strain and add to the sauce pan.  Finish with fresh flat-leaf parsley and another shot of salt and pepper.  Gently toss and serve immediately.

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