Clam pasta – so simple that the sauce uses just 5 ingredients (olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, clams, and parsley). It’s an easy dish but will be sure to impress!
Clam pasta is a dish that you’ll find on many restaurant menus in many coastal Italian seaside towns. It’s definitely very prominent in my mom’s hometown of Sperlonga, and for good reason. The flavors are so simple, and the flavor of the clams aren’t masked by any other flavors, due to the simplicity of the supporting ingredients.
What is Pasta Clam Pasta (Spaghetti Alle Vongole)?
Quite simply, it’s spaghetti (or linguine) with fresh clams, a small amount of tomatoes, fresh garlic, parsley and olive oil. That’s it! The recipe is so simple. Another reason to give it a try!
I usually see this dish “in bianco,” meaning without the tomatoes. But my zia makes them this way, it’s kind of her signature way, but if you’d like, you can omit the tomatoes and it would turn out just fine!
Can I only use spaghetti in this dish?
Absolutely not! We used spaghetti, but linguine is also a very popular cut of pasta to use. Actually linguine is probably even more common than spaghetti to use in this dish. Linguine alle vongole, or clam linguine anyone?
I wouldn’t recommend using pappardelle or tagliatelle since they’re a little thicker than spaghetti or linguine, and the clams may get lost in the dish.
What type of clams?
When I made this dish in Italy, I made them with small, local Italian clams, similar to striped venus clams. But if you’re making this dish in North America, just try to find the best-quality fresh clams you can find, and preferably on the smaller side. I used manila clams. Whatever you do, don’t used canned clams! The flavour just won’t be the same.
How to store fresh clams
If you won’t be using your clams right away, place them in a bowl (ceramic or metal) and place a damp paper cloth on top. Then place the bowl in the fridge. They will keep up to 2 days.
Do not cover them with fresh water or place them in an airtight container. This will kill them.
How to make Clam Pasta – Step by Step
In a pot, with 1/2 cup water at the bottom, let the clams cook and open up. (Photos 1 and 2)
Once clams have opened, reserve about 1 cup of clam water, and remove about half of the clams from their shells. leave the other half in their shells (Photo 3)
In a large pan, heat up the olive oil and garlic. In the mean time, cook spaghetti until al dente.
Add the tomatoes (photo 4), half of the parsley, salt, and the clam water.
Add the clams and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes (photo 5). Then add the rest of the parsely.
Add the drained spaghetti to the sauce and mix it around in the pan until most of the sauce is absorbed (Photo 6). Serve, and enjoy!
Extra Tips for Making Pasta with Clams:
- Use the highest quality ingredients you can find, especially the tomatoes and clams. Since this recipe has so few ingredients, high quality ingredients are key.
- Don’t forget the clam water (the water that is at the bottom of the pot once the clams have opened). This is what gives the dish a lot of its flavour.
- No need to season this dish with cheese – in fact, in Italy, parmesan is never an option with spaghetti alle vongole.
- Since the pasta will cook a bit more with the sauce for a few minutes, make sure you remove the the pasta when it’s extra al dente.
More Pasta Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Pappardelle with burrata and burst cherry tomatoes
- Penne with lemony ricotta, zucchini and arugula
- Fettucine with bacon, peas, and asparagus
If you’ve tried making this Clam Pasta (Spaghetti alle Vongole) or any other recipe on the blog please let me know what you thought of it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’ve been up to.
Clam Pasta (Spaghetti alle Vongole)
These spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams) use clams, tomatoes, garlic, and parsley to create a fresh and delicate pasta dish. It's a staple dish in coastal Italian towns, since fresh clams have tons of flavour and are readily available.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh clams
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 15 cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 250 grams spaghetti
- salt to taste
Instructions
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In a pot, with about 1/2 cup of water at the bottom, add clams. Place the lid on the pot and let the clams cook on medium heat and open, about 6-10 minutes.
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In the mean time, cut the tomatoes into quarters and roughly chop the parsley.
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Once the clams are all open, reserve 1 cup of the water from the pot, and remove about half the clams from their shells. Leave the rest in their shells.
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In a large pan, heat up the olive oil and garlic. Let them cook until garlic is fragrant.
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In the mean time, boil pasta water, and cook spaghetti until al dente. The pasta should be done cooking by the time that the clam sauce is ready.
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To the garlic, add tomatoes, half of the parsley and salt to the pan.
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Add clams (with shells and without) to the pan, as well as the reserved clam water. Let the sauce simmer so the flavours combine, about 10 minutes.
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Add the rest of the parsley to the sauce, and then add the spaghetti.
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Toss the spaghetti in the tomato/clam sauce until most of the sauce is absorbed, about 2-4 minutes.
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Plate, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Use the highest quality ingredients you can find, especially the tomatoes and clams. Since this recipe has so few ingredients, high quality ingredients are key.
- Don't forget the clam water (the water that is at the bottom of the pot once the clams have opened). This is what gives the dish a lot of its flavour.
- No need to season this dish with cheese - in fact, in Italy, parmesan is never an option with spaghetti alle vongole.
- Since the pasta will cook a bit more with the sauce for a few minutes, make sure you remove the the pasta when it's extra al dente.
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