The temperature suddenly went from 55 degrees to a humid 90 degrees in NYC and no one feels like turning up the heat in their kitchen. You have to eat, yet everything sounds very heavy and too hot to prepare. But….seafood!  Seafood is so quick and easy to prepare and is packed not only with flavor but nutrients, and it’s low in calories.

This dish is also packed with iron from the spinach, vitamin C and beta-carotene from the tomatoes. I used extra virgin olive oil and the starchy pasta water for the sauce, so no heavy creams here. Nice for your summertime waist-line.

This meal takes me back to Italy where you get the fresh flavors of the sea and the delicious pasta. Here, I opted for linguine because it goes so well with the seafood. The sauteed onions and garlic add that delicious flavor that keeps you wanting more of this delicious meal!

From start to finish you are sitting at your candle lit table with a nice glass of white wine; I chose voignier for its’ light and fruity flavor; within 30 minutes.

Basically you saute about 1/2 cup of onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil for about 5 minutes over a med/low heat, then add two cloves of thinly sliced garlic and season with salt. Add in 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes for some heat.  Add 1 large handful of fresh spinach and about 8 grape tomatoes, finely chopped to the skillet. Stir it around and then add some of the pasta water; about 1/4 cup.

In the meantime you had your salted water for the pasta and once it came to a boil added the pasta. Cook the pasta al dente, about 7 minutes. Since the pasta water thickens as the pasta cooks you add a ladle of the pasta water to the skillet of onions and spinach. Now layer in the clams and cover with a lid. Cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and add the shrimp. Place the lid back on and cook for about 3 minutes until the shrimp are pink and cooked. Add in the pasta, 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley  and stir in to incorporate all of the ingredients. By this point, all of your clams should have opened. I used 8 clams and 8 shrimps for 1 serving. Once all of the clams have opened and the shrimp is pink, its time to add to your plate and enjoy! How simple and easy is that?

So, forget about the heat and humidity, and enjoy some fresh seafood that takes you to your favorite place in the world and enjoy that glass or two or three of wine and hopefully some wonderful company! Enjoy!