This Shrimp and Clam pasta is perfect for seafood lovers and pasta enthusiasts. It's easy to make and will have you feeling like a gourmet chef.
The easy recipe takes succulent shrimp and flavorful clams - and pairs them with al dente pasta in a rich, tomato-based sauce. The result is a dish that is bursting with seafood flavors. Plus, it's a great recipe to impress your guests or simply treat yourself to a delicious meal.
It's a classic Italian dish that is easy to make and flavorful. Serve it with plenty of bread to soak up the sauce, and you have a quality restaurant meal at home.
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: Fresh clams are readily available in larger grocery stores and are usually packed in a mesh bag as they are still alive. While most grocery stores sell farm-raised clams that are generally clean, I personally prefer to purge them to ensure that they are free of grit and sand, which can spoil the entire dish.
Shrimp: Go for 20-25 or 26-30 count. I usually buy frozen raw shrimp! But you can use fresh shelled and deveined shrimp. If you use frozen shrimp, ensure it is fully defrosted before cooking.
Dried long pasta: A long pasta works best with this sauce, so go with spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine. If you prefer a shape, go for something chunky like rigatoni.
Onion: You can use a brown, yellow, or white onion.
Garlic: The recipe suggests 5 cloves of garlic, but as I always say, measure garlic with your heart and add more or less.
White wine: Feel free to use any white wine you have for the recipe. Personally, I prefer Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon. However, if you don't consume alcohol, you can always substitute it with broth instead.
Broth: I recommend shrimp/seafood/fish broth for the sauce, but chicken or vegetable is a great alternative. I love Better than Bouillon for a quick broth/stock.
Sugar: This balances the acidity in the tomatoes and wine. You can use regular white, castor, or brown sugar.
Anchovy paste: You can buy this in most larger grocery stores. It is also readily available online. I like the Amore brand. You can also substitute the paste for 4 whole anchovies roughly chopped.
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 to be sure they are free from grit and sand. (see below for how to do this)
- Discard any clams that don't open after 8 minutes.
- When reserving the clam cooking liquid, pour it slowly and gently so that any sediment or grit is left behind.
- Before adding your pasta, remember to salt the cooking water generously. This ensures the dish tastes fantastic. I recommend using 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Read the packet instructions on your pasta and cook it for 1 minute less than the packet suggests. Once drained, it is tossed with the sauce and continues to cook.
- To achieve a perfect sauce consistency and allow it to coat the pasta evenly, reserve 1½ cups of the pasta cooking water. Usually, you need to add around ½ cup of pasta cooking water to the sauce. However, it is a good idea to keep some extra pasta cooking water aside in case the sauce thickens too much.
- Ensure you do not overcook the shrimp; they only require about 3 minutes to cook. In the recipe, the shrimp are fried for 2 minutes and then added to the sauce to cook further.
How to purge your fresh clams
- Begin by ensuring that all the clam shells are tightly shut. Give any open clams a gentle tap on the countertop and check if they promptly close their shells.
- Discard clams that don't close tightly or have cracked or chipped shells.
- Next, create a solution of salt in cold water (around 1 tablespoon per 2 cups) and place the clams in the bowl. Allow them to sit for about 30 minutes; this time lets them expel any sand or grit lingering inside their shells. If you notice significant sand at the bottom of the bowl, consider repeating the process with a fresh batch of salty water.
- Once the clams have undergone the purging, let them soak in a bowl of cold, unsalted water for 10 minutes to rid them of any excess salt.
Why You'll Love This Shrimp and Clam Pasta
- It tastes like a restaurant dish but is so easy to make at home.
- It's an ideal dish for a romantic date night or when entertaining guests.
- It is ready in under 45 minutes.
- It uses easy-to-find ingredients that can be purchased at your local grocery store.
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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. I used a bag of mixed clams for the photos.
- Add some baby spinach at the end of cooking for added vegetables and a rich flavor.
- Add bell pepper to the pan when you are cooking the onions.
- Make it creamy by adding ½ cup of cream to the finished sauce.
- For an interesting twist, you can use red wine in the sauce. I have tried it with a Grenache.
Serving Suggestions
Sides: This rich tomato seafood dish needs crusty bread to soak up any extra sauce. I also like a green salad, like a simple side salad or an arugula salad. Alternatively, add a side of steamed asparagus or green beans.
Wines: The acidity of tomatoes in the dish can make low acidity taste bland. To complement the sauce and seafood, try a Vermentino with a sharp, citrusy finish that pairs well with the dish. Alternatively, a grassy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc could also work. If you prefer red wine, a lighter option such as Grenache or Zinfandel will also pair nicely with the dish.
Enjoy x
Try other seafood pastas:
- Shrimp and Scallop Pasta
- Clam Pasta
- Creamy Lobster Pasta
- Garlic Parmesan Shrimp Pasta
- Creamy Scallop Pasta
- Bacon Shrimp Pasta
- Lobster Pasta with Chili and Garlic
- Creamy Tomato Salmon Gnocchi
- See all +120 pasta recipes
If you make this Shrimp and Clam Pasta, please come back and comment. You can also tag me on social media.
Any questions about the recipe? Use the comments section below.
Get the Recipe
Shrimp and Clam Pasta
Ingredients
For the clams
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic peeled but whole
- ¼ cup white wine (see note 1)
- 1 cup broth/stock (see note 2)
- 1 ¼ pounds clams purged ((see note 3))
For the shrimp
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined (see note 4)
For the pasta
- 12 oz dried long pasta (see note 5)
- 1 tablespoon salt
For the sauce
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped (see note 6))
- 5 cloves garlic sliced (see note 7)
- ½ cup white wine (see note 1)
- 28 oz canned crushed tomato
- 1 cup reserved broth (see note 8
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (see note 9)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
- 3 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Start with the clams
- Add the olive oil and whole garlic to a saute pan and saute for about a minute, stirring constantly, over medium heat.2 tablespoon olive oil2 cloves garlic
- Add the white wine and broth and stir to mix everything well.¼ cup white wine1 cup broth/stock
- Add the purged clams to the pan and cover with a lid.1 ¼ pounds clams
- Allow the clams to steam open about 6-8 minutes.
- Remove the garlic cloves and any unopened clams.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the opened clams, reserving the cooking broth for later.
Cook the shrimp
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat.2 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes, turning halfway through.1 pound shrimp
- Remove the shrimp to a plate for later.
For the pasta
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil and add your salt. Add the pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the packet suggests.1 tablespoon salt12 oz dried long pasta
- Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
Cook the sauce
- Use the same skillet you cooked the shrimp in; there is no need to wash.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 3 minutes until the onion is translucent.3 tablespoon olive oil1 onion
- Add the sliced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant but not colored.5 cloves garlic
- Add in the wine, stirring to remove any residue from the bottom of the pan, and simmer gently for 2 minutes.½ cup white wine
- Add the crushed tomatoes, reserved broth, sugar, anchovy paste, and black pepper. Bring the sauce back to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Taste your sauce and add salt to taste.28 oz canned crushed tomato1 cup reserved broth1 teaspoon sugar1 teaspoon anchovy paste½ teaspoon black peppersalt to taste
To finish
- Add the shrimp, clams, drained pasta to the sauce, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir well to coat the pasta in the sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes until the pasta is well coated in the sauce.
- Add most of the chopped parsley and stir well.3 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- Serve immediately with the additional parsley.
Notes
- Feel free to use any white wine you have on hand for the recipe. Personally, I prefer Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon. However, if you don't consume alcohol, you can always substitute it with broth instead.
- I recommend shrimp/seafood/fish broth for the sauce, but chicken or vegetable is a great alternative. I love Better than Bouillon for a quick broth/stock.
- Fresh clams are readily available in larger grocery stores and are usually packed in a mesh bag as they are still alive. While most grocery stores sell farm-raised clams that are generally clean, I personally prefer to purge them to ensure that they are free of grit and sand, which can spoil the entire dish. To purge the clams:
- Begin by ensuring that all the clam shells are tightly shut. Give any open clams a gentle tap on the countertop and check if they promptly close their shells.
- Discard clams that don't close tightly or have cracked or chipped shells.
- Next, create a solution of salt in cold water (around 1 tablespoon per 2 cups) and place the clams in the bowl.
- Allow them to sit for about 30 minutes; this time, let them expel any sand or grit lingering inside their shells.
- If you notice significant sand at the bottom of the bowl, consider repeating the process with a fresh batch of salty water.
- Once the clams have undergone the purging, let them soak in a bowl of cold, unsalted water for 10 minutes to rid them of any excess salt.
- Go for 20-25 or 26-30 count. I usually buy frozen raw shrimp! But you can use fresh shelled and deveined shrimp. If you use frozen shrimp, ensure it is fully defrosted before cooking.
- A long pasta works best with this sauce, so go with spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine. If you prefer a shape, go for something chunky like rigatoni.
- You can use a brown, yellow, or white onion.
- The recipe suggests 5 garlic cloves, but as always, measure garlic with your heart and add more or less.
- Once you have removed the clams from the cooking liquid, don't pour it away. Let it settle, and then carefully pour it into a large measuring cup or jug. Be careful to leave any sediment behind. If you don't have enough cooking liquid left, you can top it up with broth or bottled clam juice.
- You can buy anchovy paste in most larger grocery stores. It is also readily available online. I like the Amore brand. You can also substitute the paste for 4 whole anchovies roughly chopped.
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving
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