Linguine with Clams
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Linguine with clams in a garlicky white wine sauce makes an easy and elegant Italian pasta dinner.
Linguine with clams is a classic Italian restaurant dish, and it’s also one of the simplest, most affordable pasta dishes you can make at home. I know cooking shellfish, like clams and mussels, can be intimidating to the uninitiated, but I promise they are the easiest thing in the world to cook — and once you try it, you’ll wonder what took you so long! For this dish, you can do all of the prep and make the clam sauce in the time it takes to boil the pasta, so dinner is done in 30 minutes. To complete the meal, toss a salad, warm some crusty bread, and pour a few glasses of the same white wine used to make the sauce.
Looking for more classic Italian restaurant pasta dishes? Try my penne all vodka, bolognese, and lasagna.
What you’ll need to make Linguine with clams
HOW TO PREPARE THE CLAMS
The recipe calls for Littleneck clams, which are readily available at most supermarkets. They are usually sold in a mesh bag because they are alive and need to breathe. If your fishmonger places them in a plastic bag, remove them from the bag immediately when you get home from the supermarket and place them in a bowl (uncovered) in the refrigerator.
To prepare the clams, first, check that they are alive by making sure all of the shells are tightly closed. If any clams are open, gently tap them against the countertop; if they are alive, they will close their shells. Discard any clams that do not close their shells or that have cracked or chipped shells.
Next, place all of the clams in a bowl and cover them with cool tap water. Let the clams sit for 20 minutes to an hour. During this time, the clams will expel sand from inside their shells. When you’re ready to cook, lift each clam from the water and rinse it, scrubbing if necessary, to get rid of any grit from the surface. (Note that most supermarkets sell farm-raised clams, which are already quite clean, so you may not find a lot of grit or sand.)
How To Make Linguine with Clams
In a large pot over high heat, bring 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt to a boil. Add the linguine and cook according to package directions until just shy of al dente. (The pasta should still be firm to the bite since it will cook another minute or two in the sauce).
Reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water, drain the linguine in a colander (do not rinse).
Meanwhile, prep all of the ingredients for the sauce.
In a very large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté until just golden, about 30 seconds.
Add the wine, red pepper flakes, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 cup of the parsley.
Toss in the clams, then bring to a simmer.
Cook, covered, until the clams open, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
Add the drained pasta to the sauté pan with the clams. (If you don’t have room for everything in one pan, transfer the clams to a plate and cover to keep warm. When ready to serve, add them back to the pasta on a serving platter).
Increase the heat to medium and cook the linguine with the clams, tossing occasionally, until the pasta absorbs most of the sauce and is just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. If necessary, add some of reserved cooking water to keep moist.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley; toss to coat.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, lemon zest and/or lemon juice, if necessary. Transfer the linguini with clams to a serving dish or bowls and serve.
you may Also like
- Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce
- Cacio e Pepe
- Cioppino (Fisherman’s Stew)
- Oven-Steamed Mussels with Garlic and White Wine
- Shrimp Scampi with Pasta
Linguine with Clams
Linguine with clams in a garlicky white wine sauce makes an easy and elegant Italian pasta dinner.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound linguine
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped shallots, from 2 shallots
- 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc (see note)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 pounds Littleneck clams (40 to 45), scrubbed
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from 1 lemon, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, from 1 lemon, plus more to taste
Instructions
- In large pot over high heat, bring 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt to a boil. Add the linguine and cook according to the package directions until just shy of al dente (the pasta should still be firm to the bite since it will cook another minute or two in the sauce). Drain in a colander (do not rinse), reserving ½ cup of the cooking water for the sauce.
- Meanwhile, in a very large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté until just golden, about 30 seconds. Add the wine, red pepper flakes, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, clams, and ¼ cup of the parsley; bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until the clams open, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
- Add the pasta to the sauté pan with the clams. (If you don't have room for everything in one pan, transfer the clams to a plate and cover to keep warm. When ready to serve, add them back to the pasta on a serving platter). Increase the heat to medium and cook the linguini with the clams, tossing occasionally, until the pasta absorbs most of the sauce and is just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. If necessary, add some of reserved cooking water to keep moist. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley; toss to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, lemon zest and/or lemon juice, if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish or bowls and serve.
- Note: When cooking with wine, select a bottle that is inexpensive (under $10) but still good enough to drink. Avoid "cooking wines," which are salty and include additives.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 627
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 67 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 33 g
- Sodium: 920 mg
- Cholesterol: 61 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This was delicious!!!
I made this recipe for dinner tonight.
I had to do half fresh and half canned clams as I didn’t have enough fresh ones but it was delicious 😋.
My boyfriend had seconds and he is usually not a big fan of linguine and clams. Thanks excellent recipe!
Loved it. Super easy to make and delicious!
I made it for the second time tonight. The first time I added drained, crushed tomatoes. Tonight i made it as per the recipe. Both were superb. thanks for a restaurant quality recipe. (I also used imported egg-based linguine tonight. There is literally no reason to go out to an Italian restaurant right now. (Which is good, given the circumstances.). thanks again and stay healthy
This is a great recipe that I have prepared numerous times exactly as printed.
Now that we are stuck at home, it’s not always easy to have all the exact ingredients at hand.
Tonight I made the recipe with some substitutes, and it turned out great.
Substituted A handful of chopped fresh spinach for the parsley.
Substituted a can of clams for the fresh ones.
Added some Large frozen scallops that I barbecued first.
Delicious!
I want to add cherry tomatoes to this, can i and if so when do add them?
Hi Beth, when you add them really depends upon how cooked you’d like them. If you want them really soft/falling apart, you could add them along with the clams when you cook them. If you’d like them to be more firm, I’d add them to the pan when you combine the linguine and clams closer to the end of the recipe. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Best linguine and clams EVER!
Every time I make this, my husband’s his favorite pasta dish, I search for another recipe. Whoa, Nelly! No more searching. This was perfection.
Crusty bread dunked in the juice was spectacular.
Wow this was so good! I used about 4 pounds of tiny manila clams and an extra 1/2 cup of wine. Really easy to prepare and truly a restaurant quality meal. Thank you for another terrific recipe 🙂
Will this be ruined if i use moscato? It’s all i have on hand and not sure if I’ll be able to get out.
Hi Emily, Moscato can be fizzy and sweet so I may lean toward a different substitute – I’d use bottled clam juice or store-bought vegetable broth (or a combination) — and I’d omit the salt in the sauce until the dish is fully cooked, then season to taste. Hope that helps!
Made this for my team tonight. Found fresh wild clams from NJ at my Market, and made exactly as directed. It was a smash hit with a good bottle of pinot grigio, salt ciabatta served with a burrata and olive tapenade, and simple cucumber and tomato salad with blood orange olive oil and balsamic. Will make again.
Absolutely delicious – and simple – will not buy canned sauce again!
Have you used mussels and clams together? Do you need to cook them separately since they take different cooking times, the clams longer than the mussels?
Hi Tammy, I haven’t made this with mussels but think it’s fine to. I’d just add the mussels in about a minute before you add the clams. Please LMK how it turns out!
This was amazing! I used “Better than Bouillon” instead of white wine and three mini red, orange and yellow peppers for color. Loved the touch of lemon! This is so much better than my regular garlic and oil treatment of clams and linguine! Thanks for a new idea!
Delicious! This recipe was super easy to follow and turned out really well, I used frozen clams that were already out of the shell and they worked great! I did add just a couple of tablespoons of clam juice as well. It was beautiful and we really enjoyed this restaurant quality meal at home for a fraction of the price. I’d attach a picture, but didn’t know how. 😊
Where are the amounts of all The ingredients?
Hi Ronni, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
My favorite new activity is collecting PNW razor clams and this is best recipe so far!
Hi Jen?
I just cooked this dish and it was DELICIOUS!! Jeez Louise!!! I wanted to have seconds… 😄 I used frozen cooked clams and it turned out great!! Will definitely make it again. I am very thankful for you and your wonderful recipes. Have a great thanksgiving
Happy thanksgiving
You too Janelle (and so glad you enjoyed)!
This is a great recipe!! I’m a picky little foodie, but found the flavors in this dish well balanced and just what I was craving for dinner. The lemon zest and juice made it amazing!!
I modified the recipe a little. Curly parsley was all my supermarket had – and it worked. I used canned clams because it was all I had access to living way way deep in the country. After a glass of wine I couldn’t tell the difference between fresh and canned by memory. It may taste more oceanic in a side by side comparison with fresh clams. I used Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc, and I also added fresh grated parmesano reggiano, which kicked this little dish to a new level. I really liked the heat that a pinch of chile flakes added.
I vote YES on this dish!!!
I am so excited to make this today! Just had a quick question, 1 lb of pasta isn’t enough for the company I’m having. Going with 2. So just doubling everything should work??
Yes but you may need two pans!
Ok. I think I have a big enough one that should work. Just going to double it all.
How much sodium in the Linguine and Clams? I had this in a Seafood Restaurant and it was so good I wanted to order another, but I didn’t for fear I looked like a p*g. I will try this anyway but gotta know the sodium count. Thanks.
LOL! I just added the sodium — it’s 920 mg per serving. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Just want to add that there is a lot of sodium naturally in the clams. I need a very low sodium diet and made this recipe (which was delicious) without using any salt at all. Others were prepared to add additional salt and it was not needed.
I added condensed milk (in lieu of heavy cream) and it added another dimension to the dish. I also made an artisan bread (overnight white bread via Forkish’s book) and served the dish over the bread, with the pasta and the clam sauce and a very nice dry white wine. Wow! The bread!! The pasta! and the Clam sauce!
This is a dish to keep.
Don Weissman
EXCELLENT, recipe very simple.. DELICIOUS
There is not one thing you need to change or add to this recipe It is awesome Love Love & Love
Hi Jenn,
Can I make this with shrimp instead? I want to cook something like shrimp scampi and thought maybe it would work with this recipe. If so, what would I need to do differently? Thank you!
Hi Turtle, Yes, you can use shrimp in place of clams. No need to modify the recipe except to change the amount of time the shrimp cooks. After sauteing the shallots and garlic, I’d add the wine and other ingredients sans the shrimp and let that cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the shrimp and cook for about 3 – 4 minutes or until just cooked through (be careful not to overcook them). I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Grocery store had wild clams but followed rest of the recipe closely. Turned out amazing! Thank you for this great dish!
Finally!!! A recipe that doesn’t call for canned clams and/or bottled clam both.
Excellent and easy! I followed the recipe exactly using fresh littlenecks. A perfect amount of heat from the red pepper flakes. This will join my foolproof recipe file.
My son and I really enjoyed this recipe. We live in a rural area in middle of the desert so fresh clams weren’t an option. I used frozen clam meat from Safeway that was roughly 11oz of clam meat without the shell or juice. Paired with 1 pound of linguine it was enough for 2 big hungry fellas and probably just enough for 3 normal portion eaters.
The lemon zest with the amount of fresh parsley this recipe calls for is what makes this version of linguine and clams different from most.
Our dinner was delicious!
Only thing I did different was add about 4 cranks of fresh ground black pepper along with the red pepper flakes. We also tried just a sprinkle of fresh graded parmesan about 1/2 way through our plates to see if it made it better. The dish is already rich from the wine and butter so the cheese was nice but it almost pushed it over the top.
I will definitely makes this again using frozen clam meat but will try in the near future to also make it with fresh live clams.
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for such a great and easy recipe to follow and wow the family!
Jenn, Do you think this would be ok with frozen clams in the shell? They are more readily available.
Hi Laura, I haven’t made these with frozen clams but a few readers have commented that they have and have been happy with the results. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Absolutely fabulous! One of my many favorite recipes from you. I used to order it a lot in italian restaurants, but this is definitely better than any other version I’ve had before. Make it a lot for my husband, and just made it for my family from another country, who loved it as well. So decadent and light at the same time! A must try.
This was FABULOUS! And much easier to make than it first appears! I increased the number of clams by about 1.5 as my family loves those. Used corn fettuccini noodles (we need to be GF) which matched the flavours beautifully. Garnished with some fresh Parm. And served with a romaine salad. Only note, don’t cook the clams too long! I think I let them cook an extra minute or two and they started to get a little on the chewy side. Jen, I try about 1 of your recipes a week. You are my GO TO! Will be cooking your brisket and onion recipe Friday night for Passover (amazing – have made this several times) and will try the chocolate meringue cake for the first time. Can’t wait 🙂
🙂
This is a fantastic recipe. Now, I can finally make my favorite meal like a pro! And by the way, on a weeknight 😊!!
We made this for our Friday dinner in Lent. It was so good and so easy. We live in the Pacific Northwest, where we are blessed to have fish markets in almost every store. Bought fresh clams, a large clove of garlic and parsley from the garden. Opened a bottle of white wine for the recipe and us. This will be made again for sure. It was such a treat to have the whole fresh clams.
My only regret was I cut the amount of linguini as we were only two…so wrong. We enjoyed it to the last morsel. I am giving his a RAVE review and five 5 stars.
By the way I found this recipe from an email I received from “once upon a chef” as I signed up my email
forgot to add the stars!
This is by far the best clam pasta dish I have ever made. I followed the recipe with a few changes based on what I had. I used spaghetti instead of linguine and 12 ounces of frozen clam meat that I found at the Asian store. I left the juices in from the clam meat which I think added to the flavor. Other than those changes, I made the dish following the recipe and it was so delicious. I especially liked the addition of the butter at the end and the slightly cooked and fresh parsley which gives a subtle flavor that tastes great. Using clam meat worked out very well because they were delicious and we didn’t have to deal with the shells which I liked very much. This is going to be the way I make this dish from now on!
Thanks for this delicious recipe! Two items I like to add: 1. saute chopped pancetta w/the shallots and garlic 2. serve with excellent crusty bread, so you can soak up any extra sauce! In fact, I often just make clams, add a little extra wine for extra liquid, and serve as an appetizer w/bread, instead of as a pasta dish. Can’t wait for summer clams!
I brought two of Jenn’s dishes to an Italian themed Christmas dinner, her Chicken Marsala (which I’ll review separately and was a hit) and this Linguine with Clams. On a buffet filled with lasagna and meatballs and spaghetti with sausage and more traditional Italian items guess what was gone first? Linguine with Clams. People were thrilled when I added it to the sign up sheet and I didn’t figure out why until Christmas day. People are afraid of cooking clams. Don’t be! Jenn’s directions on this recipe are spot on. A novice cook can follow them successfully, the pictures and directions will tell you exactly what to do. Once you’ve checked they’re alive and cleaned them for (usually nominal) grit, you just follow the recipe like any other one. My saucepan has glass lids so I was able to watch the clams pop open through it so I didn’t have to open the lid and keep checking which was very helpful. All in all, there’s a very good reason this is included in the Tested and Perfect section… the taste is excellent, it’s easy to make, and she walks you through the clam cleaning process. A+ from me.
I made this yesterday. This is a wonderful recipe! I don’t normally write reviews but I wanted to thank you for the detailed directions you provided. I would not otherwise have had the confidence to try making this. I’ve never cooked fresh clams before and I’m so glad I tried it. This dish is delicious! I’m very critical of my own cooking but I was actually impressed with myself. It really was an elegant Italian restaurant quality meal. I found your website one day while searching for a crab cake recipe, which is also fabulous. But WOW. To anyone else who is a novice, just follow the directions and you can do this too. Thank you Jen. And if you have a recipe for baked stuffed clams, I hope you post it soon. I want to learn how to make that also. Thanks!
Jenn, made your Linguine with Clam sauce. Halved the recipe for two of us and used frozen clams and it was excellent! No other adjustments necessary.
Linguine with clams is one of my favorite pastas of all-time, and this recipe did not disappoint! I’ve made it a couple times at home using other recipes, but I much prefer Jenn’s recipe! I love how her recipe gets so much clam flavor without having to use canned clam juice. And the touch of lemon zest and lemon juice is unique compared to other recipes I’ve tried. Thank you Jenn for another amazing recipe!
Absolutely delicious and easy to make! My husband is a tough critic and described this meal as ‘exceptional’ – Thank you for another great recipe, Jenn!
Hi Jenn,
Quick question for you. In this recipe it doesn’t look like the alcohol in the wine would have a chance to cook off. Is this correct? I would like to make this for my family (subbing in shrimp for the clams) but I have a baby and want to make sure the alcohol won’t be an issue. If you think alcohol would still be present in the final dish, any suggestions to make it baby friendly?
Thanks!
Hi Bry, I don’t think the wine completely cooks off so you might want to substitute bottle clam juice. Just omit the salt and add it to taste at the end. Hope your family enjoys it.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it last night (without the red pepper flakes) and am enjoying the leftovers today. I added extra lemon juice to my plate, which was so great and allows others to adjust the acidity and brightness. I could see this being a nice dish for a small dinner party. You have demystified clams for me!
Jenn I made this last evening using shrimp instead of clams. It was fantastic. My daughter had two servings and loved it. I didn’t change the recipe at all except for the shrimp. You’re right, it comes together very easily and is so delicious. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
I made this last night with mussels, Chateau Ste Michelle Sauvignon Blanc and our new favorite brand of pasta, De Cecco. The mussels took only about 3-4 minutes to open in the pan. Very easy and very tasty. My husband especially liked this dish. I served it with a simple arugula salad. I will definitely make this again using either clams or mussels, depending on what looks best in the market that day.
I’d like to use canned clams. What size would I need?
Hi Sona, not sure if you’re referring to the size of the clams or the size of the can. If you’re referring to the clams, any size will do. If it’s the can size you’re wondering about, I would guesstimate that you’ll need about 12 – 16 ounces. Hope that helps!
where did you buy your colander? must try this recipe. It looks delicious.
Hi Irene, I’ve had that colander for a really long time and unfortunately, I don’t recall where I got it-sorry! (Hope you enjoy the linguine if you try it.) 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I would like to make this with shrimp, is it better to use thawed cooked shrimp or uncooked shrimp and if using uncooked, should I add after clams open up? Thank you so much for your recipes. I can honestly say I have a better marriage and family because these delicious meals bring us to together most evenings. Thank you.
Hi Jennifer, So glad your family enjoys the recipes! 🙂
If you’d like to add shrimp to this, I’d suggest uncooked and I’d add them after the clams have been cooking for about 5 minutes. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Hi Jenn! I don’t have access to littleneck clams, do you think the recipe would be as good with mussels?
Sure, Elise – I think mussels would beautifully here. Enjoy!
Can I use canned clams in this recipe? Fresh clams are harder for me to find and more expensive?
Sure, Catherine, but keep in mind that canned clams are higher in sodium than fresh. I would omit the salt in the sauce and add it to taste at the end. Please let me know how it turns out!
Just made it with canned clams Jenn-ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Thank you for a great recipe, I will definitely make it again.
Made it tonight and turned out great, better than in restaurants. I didn’t have fresh clams, so I used canned ones. Used clam juice from the drained can and topped it with some dry white wine to a total of 1 cup. Otherwise, followed the recipe precisely. My husband said it was perfect.
And yes, since I was using clam juice/white wine mixture, I reduced the amount of salt.
Tanya,
How many cans of clams did you have to use? Thank you!
Hi Jenn! Thank you for the recipe. What is a good substitute for white wine, if we do not cook with alcohol? Thank you!
Hi Maria, I would use bottled clam juice or store-bought vegetable broth (or a combination) — and I’d omit the salt in the sauce until the dish is fully cooked, then season to taste.
Hi Jenn, Thank you so much for this recipe, I tried this last Friday and always wanted to make a meal with fresh clams and wine. The picture ingredients helped too however, when I went to the store I brought a 6oz Pinot Noir to only discover it was RED. I was already in the middle of cooking and had to continue. The end result was still good with the dish being a bit darker. It still had a great flavor and my family loved it. Thanks for sharing I’ll have to try this recipe again with the correct wine next time.
OMG! This is my new favorite! I made this for dinner tonight and added shrimp. I had my parents over for dinner. Each of us had THREE helpings! We couldn’t stop raving about how delicious it was.
You answered my question about using shrimp. I know my daughter won’t eat clams but she loves shrimp. This is dinner for us tonight.
This is a great recipe. I love the detailed photos as I have always been a bit nervous cooking clams and the seasonings here are spot on….this will be my new go to recipe for the week. My husband really enjoyed it as well!
If you want to make this using both a fresh clams and a can of the chopped ones when do you add the chopped ones?
Hi Karen, I’d probably just add them along with the fresh clams so they can get warmed up. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn, I realize most of these comments are from 2020, so hope you’ll reply. Need to use 2 cans of chopped clams instead of fresh. Can you please suggest how much of the can’s juice to include? Thank you so much! (& can onions be subbed in for shallots?)
Hi Karen, I’d suggest using 1/2 to 1 cup of the can’s juice. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!