Shrimp and Clam Pasta w/ Spicy Cream Sauce

I think I need to learn how to make up names for recipes, Shrimp and Clam Pasta w/ Spicy Cream Sauce is what I made but I don't think it should be the name of a dish. Anyway I bought a pound of shrimp, divided it into four servings and then wondered what I was going to do for 4 different dishes that have shrimp in them. My first thought was shrimp scampi, which is one of my favorite ways to have shrimp, but I have made it a couple times before and I was thinking that I wanted to make something new. While perusing through the supermarket I often get sidetracked looking at items I have never bought wondering what they taste like and what I could use them for. One such item is canned clams. I know what you're thinking, "canned clams there is no way they could be good even close to good", right, because that's exactly what I thought too. However, I have heard tell, namely in a couple of episodes of No Reservations, that there are some canned seafood products that are actually better than their non-canned counterparts. However these super premium canned seafood treats come from tiny canneries in picturesque corners of countries like Spain, France and Italy. So there is no way a can of minced clams from Giant Eagle in Rootstown, Ohio could possibly even have a hint of good flavor, but one could dream. So every time I walked down the canned foods aisle, the canned clams always stared at me tempting me to buy them. I finally caved, I was nervous that it was going to be awful, but they were only $1.55, so if I opened the can and it smelled of something awful and I had to throw them away and keep dreaming about good canned seafood, then it wouldn't be the worst thing. Plus I knew the shrimp were good so my dinner wouldn't have been ruined either. To my great surprise, I opened that can of clams from Giant Eagle, in Rootstown, Ohio and it smelled good, like good clams should smell, they tasted just as good too. They turned what was going to a good meal, but one I have had before, to a new really tasty meal I can't wait to make again. I also can't wait to make something that could use clams, or even venture in to even scarier canned seafood products like whole clams or whole oysters (I'm not sure why I thought I had the best chance with minced clams). Without further ado, here's the recipe, give it a try, and go try some canned seafood.

Shrimp and Clam Pasta w/ Spicy Cream Sauce

1 serving

10 large shrimp

1 can of minced clams with liquid

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium shallot, chopped thinly

1 lemon

1/4 pound of pasta noodle of your choice (I used thin spaghetti)

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 dried basil

1/4 c heavy cream

1 tbs butter

1 /4 c white wine

2 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Coat a frying pan with the olive oil and bring up to medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and cook for about a minute and a half on each side, a little undercooked but they will finish cooking when they are put back in to the sauce at the end. Set aside add the clams to the pan and cook for a minute or two then add the garlic, shallot, red pepper flakes and basil and cook for an additional minute. Add the wine then the liquid from the can of clams. Stir together and allow to reduce a little bit. Next add the cream and stir into the sauce. Cook for about 5 to 10 more minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Put the shrimp back into the sauce to allow to warm back up and finish cooking. In the final minute add the butter allow to melt and serve over the pasta of your choice.

finish with some parmesan cheese if you so prefer