This post has been sponsored by Deoleo USA, Inc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I didn’t realize that traveling to the Cote d’Azur would leave such a culinary impression on me as it did. As any Francophile can attest, Paris was always held the closest to my heart for cuisine. That is, until I visited the Cote d’Azur and they used all of my favorite ingredients to cook with: tarragon, lemon, butter, seafood, white wine and high quality extra virgin olive oil. One of the best meals we cooked over there was a langoustine and steamer clam pasta that I knew we’d have to recreate when we returned home, especially since I was able to source the new Carbonell Extra Virgin Olive Oil in our local Kroger. Find the NEW Carbonell Portfolio at a Kroger store near you!
The Cote d’Azur has everything a seafood lover could possibly hope for: fresh seafood, access to tons of fresh citrus, the finest white wines, beautiful herbs, and tons of pasta. It was no wonder why this langoustine and steamer clam pasta came together so well. The dish basically made itself; we were just there to make sure the boiling water didn’t overflow.
Returning to Georgia, I was still craving this delightful pasta dish. So, I knew we’d have to source the ingredients the next time we went grocery shopping at Kroger.
On this particular trip, we also had to restock our olive oil and I was overjoyed to see Carbonell Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a variety of new Spanish regional flavors. Carbonell uses sustainable farming practices that produce world-class olive oil, so you can understand my excitement to use their product!
I figured the Carbonell Cordobesa Extra Virgin Olive Oil would be the perfect complement to our Cote d’Azur cooking due to its bold and fruity flavor palette. But always a sucker for good branding and thoughtful packaging (it has a built-in pour spout so you don’t have to transfer it out of the bottle—SMART), I decided to pick up the three other new flavors anyways: Morisca (mellow & fruity), Arbosana (sweet & nutty), and Manzanilla (fruity & peppery). Visit www.CARBONELLUSA.com for more information on the terroir portfolio.
MANZANILLA and MORISCA cultivars are both specific from EXTREMADURA, a region in the South of Spain that respects tradition embraces nature & imprints it into its olive oils which are very complex but well balanced, offering EVOO with strong fresh & fruity tasting notes. Both varietals are the produce of traditional groves, bringing limited but outstanding quality EVOO obtained thanks to an integrated and sustainable production agriculture.
ARBOSANA and CORDOBESA cultivars are both grown in ANDALUCÍA, a region that perfectly combines the freshness of its sea with the richness of its mountains, providing a vast variety of olive oils that tend to be very well rounded with smooth taste, very pleasant in the mouth.
The Carbonell Cordobesa Extra Virgin Olive Oil was the real star of our dish; its fruity undertone was the perfect complement to the citrus and tarragon. It had a bold but not overpowering olive oil flavor that was the base of our sauce. We threw in a couple of leeks and a bit of tomato paste to add some bittersweetness.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say that this meal didn’t transport me immediately back to the Cote d’Azur. And now after tasting all these amazing Spanish olive oils, a trip to Andalusia Spain is really on my bucket list. Ultimate bucket list goal: riding an Andalusian Stallion across the Andalusian plains on my way to an olive oil feast fit for, well, me.
Cheers!
Paying tribute to our time on the Cote d’Azur, this Langoustine Pasta is broiled with Carbonell Cordobesa Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Tarragon, then finished over pasta with a tarragon lemon butter sauce.
- 8 Large Langoustines head on, split and deveined
- 2 TBSP Carbonell Cordobesa Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 TBSP Dried tarragon
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 pound of Steamer Clams
- 1 bowl of Ice Water
- 1 ½ TBSP Dried Tarragon
- 1 TBSP Tomato Paste
- 1 ½ tbsp Carbonell Cordobesa Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 leek sliced
- 1 cup of white wine we used pinot grigio
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 3 TBSP of unsalted butter
- 1 medium lemon zested and juiced
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Parsley to garnish
- 1 pound of linguini
- ½ cup of salt
- 2 quarts of water
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Bring the oven to broil. While it is heating up, clean and devein your langoustines and place onto a aluminum foil covered baking tray.
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Rub Carbonell Cordobesa Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the langoustines, paying attention to the split back. Sprinkle tarragon over each langoustine lightly. Then add salt and pepper.
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Broil in the oven for about 8-10 minutes until the flesh is cooked through. Remove and tent with aluminum foil until the rest of the dish is done.
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While the Langoustines are cooking, boil pasta, salt and water together until cooked al dente (should be about 6-8 minutes depending on the package directions.)
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Drain, reserve some of the pasta water, and set aside in a bowl with a drizzle of Carbonell Cordobesa Extra Virgin Olive Oil to keep it from sticking.
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In the large pot you cooked the pasta in, add tarragon, tomato paste, Carbonell Cordobesa Extra Virgin Olive Oil, garlic and the leeks to the pot. Cook on medium high until the leeks are cooked through and the tarragon is fragrant, about 4-6 minutes. Add white wine and cook for 20 seconds while the alcohol burns off.
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Add the steamer clams to the pot and place the lid on. Cook the steamers for 5-10 minutes until the shells are wide open. Any that did not open should be discarded.
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When they’re open, immediately plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking.
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In the large pot with the steamer clam juice, add chicken broth, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
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Cook together, until the sauce has thickened a little, should be the consistency of a hearty broth.
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Remove the sauce from the heat and add the pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine.
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Place the pasta on a large flat platter and draining the juice onto the top of the pasta. Place the langoustines in a circle around the middle of the dish. Dot the clams on top of the pasta or serve in a bowl separately.
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Garnish with parsley and more Carbonell Cordobesa Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
If you want to skip the clam step, you can always substitute ½ cup of clam juice into the recipe. If you do this, I recommend reducing the amount of chicken broth in the recipe by 1/4 cup.
