The briny juices from the clams help to flavor this brothy sauce—the fresher the clams, the better the dish. Clams' salinity varies depending on their variety and provenance, so in this case, be sure to salt the pasta cooking water lightly.
Ingredients
serves 2
Preparation
Step 1
Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5 quart pot. Season lightly with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking water.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, swirling pan often, until just golden. Add red pepper flakes and continue cooking 15 more seconds. Add wine, then clams; increase heat to high. Cover skillet and cook until clams open and release their juices, 3-6 minutes, depending on size of clams. As clams open, use tongs to transfer them to a bowl.
Step 3
Add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water to skillet; bring to a boil. Add pasta to pan. Cook over high heat, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and has soaked up some of the sauce from the pan. Add clams and any juices from bowl to pan, along with parsley, and toss to combine. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Transfer pasta to warm bowls and drizzle with remaining oil.
Leave a Review
Reviews (43)
Back to TopAbsolutely wonderful! Made with 300 grams De Decco linguine, perfect for three. I live in Spain and used fresh clams from Galicia and Verdejo white wine. I placed the clams in cold water with kosher salt, let rest for five minutes and rinsed (did this twice) before adding to the pan. Will definitely be making again!
Anna K.
Madrid, Spain
12/11/2022
Very tasty! I have this all the time when i go out to restaurants! and this is one of the best!
John Doe
Manarola, Italy
12/3/2021
Great recipe the flavors are well balance. Regarding the kosher salt I use it on almost all my recipes including steak rub and really enhanced the taste by bringing a little note of salt burst. So no offense to our Italian friends but I really think the kosher salt improves this recipe.
Phil
Cincinnati
11/22/2021
simple and tasty recipe!
ronit ronen
amsterdam
12/2/2020
This recipe is delicious. I've made Spaghetti alle Vongole several times before but this recipe is the best I've tried. I highly recommend it.
ella22
New York
11/15/2019
All salt is not created equal. In a side-by-side taste test, dip your finger in plain salt and again in iodized salt and you will toss out iodized salt unless of course you like adding the taste of iodine. Some imported “gourmet, exotic & expensive sea salt is harvested from seawater by evaporating our the water by spreading the saltwater out in usually third-world island sun. Impurities tint the color. Birds fly over, critters walk through it as do the the people that rake the salt to dry it out. You get fancy NaCl + and the snob appeal that comes with a fancy descripture. Go with good old fashioned pure, unadulterated kosher salt.
michael1249
Chicago, IL
10/22/2018
@ATMAMF: Don't feel offended ;) Kosher salt is a misleading term originating in the US, that grew over-popular with the hipsterization of cooking. I figure this whole phenomenon is completely alien from how Italians perceive food and cooking, and I'm completely with you on this one. I personally find this term misleading and stylistically sloppy and dumb, so it's a mystery how it has ever caught on. Anyway, by kosher salt they mean salt with larger and flakier grains than regular table salt (which often also contains iodine and anticaking agents). Kosher salt is used for making meats kosher by removing the surface blood (as salt absorbs the blood), so it should be called KOSHERING SALT. Of course it is plain silly that this article, and many many more found on the internet, bestselling recipe books etc. call for kosher salt, when they could simply call for sea salt etc. Nowadays you will see recipes mentioning Maldon sea salt, which is great and it does have a slightly distinct taste, but it's idiotic to claim we should toss away regular seasalt for ever. It's all about this self-important, pathologically fastidious attitude that recent years have brought into cooking. It's part of the phenomenon that will see people posting photos of the food they prepared on Instagram and Facebook and then desperately counting likes and appreciative comments.
Anonymous
Berlin
1/12/2017
What is this nonsense im reading on first sight. "Kosher Salt"? Please be so kind to explain how the approval of some Jewish Rabbi over some sea salt improved its quality? Does he have magic powers? What does he know about Italian cuisine? Salt is salt. And untreated sea salt is usually of best quality.
atmamf
Italy
7/16/2016
Only Manila or Veraci clams can be used for pasta alle vongole. Here the real, legit, italian recipe: https://whatsfordinnerale.com/2016/02/03/la-pasta-alle-vongole/
whatsfordinnerale
Roma, Italy
4/26/2016
I made this for my mom and I one night while the rest of my family was gone. It came out perfectly, we really loved it. I would not change a single thing about this recipe, it was simple and anything but bland. I cannot imagine using butter or cream- I highly suggest using fresh little neck clams and a decent bottle of chardonnay. It makes a big difference. Also, the small amount we had left over was still really delicious the next day for lunch. Definitely making this again.
GradSchoolCook
Arizona
3/6/2016
I forget to add forks, would give it more if I could.
vobrien999
Vancouver, Canada
2/6/2016
Quite simply the best vongole we have eaten outside Italy. Tasteless? Bland? Absolutely not. The briny, spicy tang, with the freshness of the parsley..... Heaven on a plate. Don't change a thing.
Anonymous
Vancouver, Canada
2/6/2016
Yes, I think as others mention, Boil the Shells! I needed more flavour. But I really went to town on the added fresh parsley which helped. Someone else mentioned adding a few sardines, which I would next time try - by dissolving them in the oil at the beginning (as with Puttanesca). I used frozen clams and I think this will be better with fresh. Next time!
epicurious3
England
9/13/2015
I cannot imagine how anyone could possibly describe this as bland. It was quite simply the best vongole we have ever eaten, even in Italy. Its fresh, briny, spicy flavour is real perfection. Don't spoil it by adding butter or cream, this recipe is spectacular just as written.
vickio21
Vancouver
8/19/2015
It was bland. It needed more of a wine taste, clam taste and definitely more salt. I used fresh clams and still couldn't taste them. I was disappointed.
kevans
Charleston, SC
1/22/2014
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