This Clam Pasta is seriously delicious and so easy to make. It's a dish that transports you straight to the Italian coast with every bite.
The beauty of this recipe is that it only requires a handful of ingredients, and you can have it on the table in under 30 minutes. It makes a great weeknight dinner if you are pushed for time, but it is perfect for date night or cooking for friends.
The key to making an excellent clam pasta is using fresh clams and good-quality pasta. Both of which you can get in larger grocery stores these days. So, if you're looking for a simple and delicious restaurant-quality dinner, give this clam pasta a try.
Ingredient Notes
These notes are here to help make this recipe a success; they cover some but not all ingredients. For a complete ingredient list, check out the recipe card below.
Clams: You can buy fresh clams in larger grocery stores; they will come in a mesh bag as they are still alive. Most grocery stores sell farm-raised clams, which are usually quite clean, but I like to purge them to be sure, as a gritty clam can ruin the whole dish. See below for details on how to purge the clams.
Shallots: These add a sweet flavor to the sauce, but you can substitute with half an onion.
Garlic: The recipe uses five cloves of garlic. Measure garlic with your heart and use more or less as you prefer.
Red pepper flakes: These are called chilli flakes in some parts of the world. It adds a background warmth, but feel free to leave them out.
White wine: Use a dry white wine for this recipe. My choice would be a Soave, Vermentino, or Pinot Grigio. Choose something that you would drink rather than a poor-quality cooking wine.
Clam juice/fish stock: You can buy bottled clam juice in the tinned fish aisle of the grocery store. If it isn't available, use a good quality fish stock instead.
Lemon: Buy a fresh lemon, as the recipe uses zest and juice.
How to prepare clams for pasta
To prepare your fresh clams for the Clam Pasta:
- Start by checking that all of the shells are tightly closed.
- Give any open clams a gentle tap on the countertop and see if they close their shells.
- Discard any clams that don't close their shells or have cracked or chipped shells.
- Next, dissolve salt in cold water (about 1 tablespoon per 2 cups) and place the clams in the bowl. Let them sit for 30 minutes, during which they will expel any sand or grit from inside their shells. If you find a lot of sand at the bottom of the bowl, you can repeat the process with a new batch of salty water.
- Once the clams have been purged, let them soak in a bowl of cold, unsalted water to remove excess salt.
It's worth noting that most grocery stores sell farm-raised clams, which are already quite clean, so you may not find much grit or sand, but it is still worth purging as a gritty, sandy clam will ruin the whole meal.
Recipe Tips
We've tested this recipe at least 3 times to ensure it works well for you. Have a look at our tips for getting the best dish you can!
- Purge the clams: I know I keep saying it, but it ruins the whole meal if someone gets sand or grit in their clam.
- Discard dead clams: Before you cook your clams, discard any that aren't closed and don't close when tapped on the countertop. Once cooked, discard any clams that haven't opened. If after the 6 minutes you find you have a lot of unopened clams, keep cooking for a further 2-3 minutes, as very fresh clams can take longer to open.
- Undercook the pasta: When boiling the pasta, cook it for a minute less than the packet suggests. It will finish cooking in the sauce and absorb all the flavors.
- Reserve the cooking water: Before draining the pasta, reserve at least a cup of the pasta cooking water. This can be used to moisten the pasta as it cooks in the sauce if it gets too dry.
- Zest first: Zest the lemon before you cut and juice it. It is almost impossible to zest a cut and juiced lemon.
Why You'll Love This Clam Pasta
- It's an elegant restaurant-quality dish that you can easily make at home.
- It is impressive yet totally doable, even if you're not a kitchen whiz.
- It makes a great date night dinner.
- It is easy to adapt.
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Recipe Adaptions
These are all just suggestions and things that have worked in our test kitchen, but it is your dinner, so adapt it to suit your family. That is the beauty of cooking; we can all create our own delicious meals.
- Use whatever clams are available, and if you can't find any, you can easily use mussels instead.
- Add halved cherry tomatoes when you add the pasta for a pop of color.
- Make it creamy with a ¼ cup of heavy cream.
- Add some baby spinach at the end of cooking for added veg and rich flavor.
- Add asparagus spears or a cup of baby peas for some extra greens.
Serving Suggestions for Clam Pasta
Sides: This garlicky pasta definitely needs some crusty bread to mop up all the delicious juices. And maybe a green side salad or a side of steamed asparagus or green beans.
Wine: This is a dish for white wine or maybe a dry rose. I have tried a few reds with it, but none of them work. But I'd be happy to hear from you if you try something that works. For whites, think dry and unoaked. The wine you added to the dish would be perfect. Soave, Vermentino or Pinot Grigio.
Enjoy x
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Any questions about the recipe? Use the comments section below.
Get the Recipe
Clam Pasta
Ingredients
To purge the clams
- 2 lb clams purged (see note 1)
- 6 cups cold water
- 3 tablespoons salt
For the pasta
- 12 oz linguine/spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon salt
For the sauce
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup dry white wine (see note 2)
- ½ cup clam juice/fish stock (see note 3)
- 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (see note 4)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice (see note 4)
To finish
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- fresh flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
Instructions
Cleaning the clams
- Dissolve the salt in the water and add the clams. Let them sit for 20 minutes to filter out any grit and sand.3 tablespoons salt6 cups cold water2 lb clams
- If you find a lot of sand at the bottom of the bowl, you can repeat the process with a new batch of salty water.
- Once the clams have been purged, let them soak in a bowl of cold, unsalted water to remove excess salt.
Cook the pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the packet suggests.1 tablespoon salt12 oz linguine/spaghetti
- Before draining the pasta, reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water.
While the pasta cooks, make the sauce.
- Place a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil and chopped shallots and cook for a minute.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil2 shallots
- Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for 30 seconds, and then pour the wine.5 cloves garlic¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes½ cup dry white wine
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add the clam juice/fish stock, clams, and chopped parsley.½ cup clam juice/fish stock2 lb clams3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Place a lid on the pan and cook for 6 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir everything together, cook for a further minute without the lid, and then discard any clams that haven't opened.
To finish the dish
- Add the pasta to the clams, along with ¼ cup (60ml) of the reserved pasta cooking water. Toss the pasta with the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat until the pasta is cooked to your liking. Most of the sauce will be absorbed into the pasta; you can add extra cooking water if it dries out too much.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, lemon zest and lemon juice.3 tablespoons unsalted butter1 teaspoon lemon zest2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Taste and salt and pepper to your preference.saltpepper
- Serve immediately with extra parsley.fresh flat-leaf parsley
Notes
- You can buy fresh clams in larger grocery stores; they will come in a mesh bag as they are still alive. Most grocery stores sell farm-raised clams, which are usually quite clean, but I like to purge them to be sure, as a gritty clam can ruin the whole dish. (How to do this is in the recipe card)
- Use a dry white wine for this recipe. My choice would be a Soave, Vermentino, or Pinot Grigio. Choose something that you would drink rather than a poor-quality cooking wine. If you don't consume alcohol, you can use extra broth and lemon juice.
- You can buy bottled clam juice in the tinned fish aisle of the grocery store. If it isn't available, use a good-quality fish stock instead.
- Zest the lemon before you cut and juice it. It is almost impossible to zest a cut and juiced lemon.
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving
Kels says
I needed something "different" for date night and one of our traditions when we started dating was going out for seafood. So this clam pasta was the perfect solution. I'm so glad I sliced some delicious bread to serve with it because soaking up that garlicky sauce is a definite must! Yum!
Lynn says
This was so filling and satisfying! My whole family loved this recipe! I'll be making it again very soon!
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
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