Linguine with Clams Paired with Touraine Sauvignon Blanc
This linguine with clams recipe is an easy weeknight meal that comes together in under thirty minutes and pairs so well with a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc.
If you’ve never cooked clams at home before, take this as your sign to do so. They’re delicious, so easy to cook up, and fairly affordable compared to other seafoods.
Keep reading this post to find the full recipe, learn about France’s Touraine wine region, and find out why Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect pairing for this simple seafood pasta.
Linguine with Clams Paired with Touraine Sauvignon Blanc
This linguine with clams recipe is sure to impress for a date night at home or dinner party meal, but with only a few ingredients, it’s also simple enough to add to your weeknight meal rotation.
Note: This post contains some affiliate links that if clicked on and used to purchase wine may pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
about touraine sauvignon blanc
If you love Sancerre, you’re going to love this wine (and its lower price point).
Touraine is a subregion just outside of Sancerre, in France’s picturesque Loire Valley. With a viticultural history dating back to the Middle Ages, its known for its diverse and fertile soils that produce white, red, and rosé wines.
Most of Touraine’s white wines are made with Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc, resulting in crisp, refreshing, food-friendly wines. The reds are made with mainly Gamay or Cabernet Franc, which make for medium-bodied wines with moderate alcohol.
A typical Touraine Sauvignon Blanc is dry, bright, and crisp, with notes grapefruit, honeydew melon, green apple, fresh grass, and minerality.
Life hack: I love recommending Sauvignon Blanc from Touraine because it’s similar to Sancerre, but often offers a much better value. Sancerre is a tiny region, and with such high demand for its wine, the bottles are only getting more expensive. Try exploring nearby regions that use the same grapes, like Touraine.
Touraine Sauvignon Blanc to try:
why this pairing works
Due to its high acidity, light body, and moderate alcohol content, Sauvignon Blanc is an extremely food-friendly wine.
The freshness of this dish matches that of the wine, and the brininess of the clams brings out a unique minerality in the glass.
One of my favorite ways to ensure a wine and food pairing is going to be successful is incorporating the wine into the recipe, like I did here. This is a foolproof way to make sure the flavors are congruent (plus, it’s a good excuse to pop open the bottle while you cook.)
If you’re a visual learner, you might enjoy this step-by-step video on how to make this linguine with clams recipe:
ingredients
Serves 2
24 Littleneck clams
1/4 cup dry white wine (Note: use the wine you’re pairing with this meal)
4 oz dry linguine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
Handful of cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish)
1 tbsp butter
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Salt & red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
Soak clams in ice-cold salted water for about 30 min. Rinse and scrub each clam clean.
Meanwhile, boil water and cook pasta, according to package instructions (be sure to reserve some pasta water).
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Sauté garlic and shallots for about 2-3 minutes.
Add wine, clams, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cover and simmer until clams open, about 6 minutes. Discard any clams that didn’t open.
Toss drained pasta into pot with clams and stir, adding pasta water as needed, if the mixture is dry.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice, parsley, and butter.
Stir together and serve, topping with additional parsley.
If you’d like to learn more about how to taste wine like a pro and get to know your palate on a deeper level, book an in-person or virtual wine tasting with me. And if you interested in trying new wines, you’d love my Wine Tasting Club - it’s like a book club, but for virtual wine tastings.
For more wines to try, see this list of the 11 best wines for beginners. Or sign up for my free Weekly Wine Reviews for my unfiltered ratings, tasting notes, and food pairing suggestions for bottles you can grab on your next grocery run.
Ready to further your wine education? Enroll in a WSET class today and use code LexiStephens for a discount.
If you liked this post, pin it to Pinterest!
