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Spaghetti alle Vongole

A delicious pasta dish made with clams that is one of the most delicious dishes in traditional Neapolitan cuisine.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 503 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 1 1 lb Spaghetti dry, or linguine
  • 2-3 2-3 lbs clams littleneck or small cherrystone, washed, rinsed, and drained with bad ones remvoed
  • ½ to ¾ ½ to ¾ cup white wine
  • 6-8 6-8 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1 Tbsp butter optional
  • 2 2 cloves garlic finely sliced or chopped
  • 2 2 tsp red pepper flakes to taste. Optional
  • 1 1 bunch parsley flat-leaf, chopped
  • 1 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 1 tsp lemon juice
  • kosher salt for pasta water or as needed

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Fill a pot 3/4 of the way with water, bring to a boil and add kosher salt (or however you normally cook 1lb of pasta).
  2. Add the pasta to the boiling water and remove it when it's a few minutes from being fully cooked, even before it reaches al dente, because you will finish cooking it with the sauce.
  3. Save a bit of pasta water to add later to the sauce at the end, if needed.
  4. Heat most of the extra virgin olive oil and half of the butter (optional) in a large skillet over medium heat.
  5. Add garlic, chopped or finely sliced, and cook until golden before adding red pepper flakes.
  6. Pour in the white wine (about one quarter of an inch deep) and add the fresh clams and cover the pan to steam cook them for several minutes.
  7. When most of the clams open, uncover and then remove and discard any that haven't opened yet.
  8. Use tongs and a fork to remove some of the clams from their shells and discard the shells (this is not a required step, but can make it easier to plate and enjoy the dish, you can leave them all in the shell if you prefer).
  9. Add the drained spaghetti to the pan and toss with the sauce and clams. Add a small amount of reserved pasta water if needed, but do not make the sauce too watery. Keep cooking until the pasta is al dente.
  10. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped parsley (reserve a small amount for garnishing), lemon zest, and lemon juice.
  11. Drizzle with remaining extra virgin olive oil, toss one more time, and plate. Garnish the finished dish with the remaining parsley.

Notes

  • There are two main versions of this dish, known simply as bianco and rosso, or white and red. Red refers to the presence of tomatoes in the dish. The dish is delicious either way, but the white is the most traditional form, as seen in the recipe below.
  • To make this recipe in a "red" version, add cherry tomatoes (cut in half or slightly crushed) or chopped Roma tomatoes after you add the wine. This will give the tomatoes enough time to break down and add a sweet acidity to the dish but not turn it into an outright tomato sauce, which is not the goal.
  • This dish is made up and down the coast of Italy, so many regional variations exist, for example in Liguria they add diced potatoes. There is a lot of experimenting you can do once you master the basics, and it will probably come out great as long as you don't overpower the briny sweetness of the clams and they remain the star of the dish.

Nutrition Information

Serving 100g Calories 503kcal (25%) Carbohydrates 89g (30%) Protein 21g (42%) Fat 4g (6%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Trans Fat 0.01g Cholesterol 10mg (3%) Sodium 239mg (10%) Potassium 401mg (11%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 4g (8%) Vitamin A 1647IU (33%) Vitamin C 21mg (23%) Calcium 72mg (7%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 503

% Daily Value*

Serving 100g
Calories 503kcal 25%
Carbohydrates 89g 30%
Protein 21g 42%
Fat 4g 6%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Trans Fat 0.01g 1%
Cholesterol 10mg 3%
Sodium 239mg 10%
Potassium 401mg 9%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 4g 8%
Vitamin A 1647IU 33%
Vitamin C 21mg 23%
Calcium 72mg 7%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.