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Briny clams, silky pasta, and a buttery, garlicky sauce make this linguine with clams taste like something you’d order at your favorite Italian restaurant.
Linguine with clams is a classic Italian restaurant dish, but it’s also one of the simplest and most affordable pasta dishes you can make at home. I know cooking shellfish like clams and mussels can seem intimidating, but they’re surprisingly easy to prepare—and once you try it, you’ll wonder what took you so long! Once the clams are cleaned and ready to go, you can make the sauce while the pasta cooks, so dinner comes together in about 30 minutes.
“I followed your instructions and when my husband tasted it, he said ‘Marry me’!”
What You’ll Need to Make Linguine with Clams
- Littleneck clams: Small, tender clams with a sweet, briny flavor. They release flavorful juices as they cook, creating the base of the sauce.
- Linguine: The classic pasta for this dish, though spaghetti works well, too.
- Dry white wine: Choose a crisp, dry wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. Select a bottle that is inexpensive but still good enough to drink. Avoid “cooking wines,” which are salty and include additives.
- Garlic and shallots: Create the aromatic base of the sauce.
- Olive oil and butter: Add richness and help bring the sauce together.
- Red pepper flakes: Add a subtle kick of heat.
- Fresh parsley and lemon: Brighten the sauce and balance the richness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Clean & Prepare Fresh Clams
This recipe calls for littleneck clams, which are readily available at most supermarkets. They’re usually sold in mesh bags because they’re alive and need to breathe. If your fishmonger puts them in a plastic bag, transfer them to an uncovered bowl in the refrigerator as soon as you get home.
Before cooking, check that the clams are alive. Their shells should be tightly closed. If any are open, gently tap them against the countertop; live clams will close their shells. Discard any that stay open or have cracked or chipped shells.
To remove any sand, place the clams in a bowl of cool tap water and let them soak for 20 minutes to an hour. When you’re ready to cook, lift them out of the water and rinse each one, scrubbing away any grit on the shells. Most supermarket clams are farm-raised and already quite clean, so you may not find much sand.
How To Make Linguine with Clams
Cook the pasta: Boil the linguine until just shy of al dente—it will finish cooking in the sauce. Before draining, save a little pasta water in case you need it later.
Make the clam sauce: Sauté the shallots and garlic in olive oil until lightly golden, then add the white wine, red pepper flakes, salt, parsley, and clams. Cover and steam until the clams open, about 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any that remain closed.
Bring it all together: Add the linguine to the pan and toss until it absorbs some of the garlicky sauce. If things look a little dry, add a splash of the reserved pasta water. Finish with butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley, then taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.
Linguine with Clams
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 16 oz 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
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 lb Littleneck clams (40 to 45), scrubbed
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, divided
- 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 qts (4L) 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). Reserve ½ cup (120 ml) of the cooking water, then drain the pasta without rinsing.
- 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 (8 g) of the parsley. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until the clams open, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
- Add the drained linguine to the pan with the clams. If the pan is too crowded, transfer the clams to a plate and cover to keep warm; you can add them back when serving. Cook over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until the pasta absorbs most of the sauce and is just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Add a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to keep it 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.
Nutrition Information
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.
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Storage & Reheating
Linguine with clams is best enjoyed right away, but leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To reheat, warm gently in a covered skillet over low heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Heat just until warmed through to keep the clams from becoming rubbery. I don’t recommend freezing this dish.
What to Serve with Linguine with Clams
To complete the meal, toss an arugula salad or make some roasted asparagus. Warm some crusty bread to soak up the garlicky sauce, and pour a few glasses of the same white wine used to make the dish. For dessert, finish with tiramisu.
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This recipe is fantastic – fast, easy and delicious! I even substituted sardines for the clams and it was even more outstanding. It comes together very quickly, so be sure you’ve prepared all the ingredients before beginning. A wonderful summer dinner!
Hi Jenn,
I made this recipe last night. I made one substitute. I used the white section of green onions because I didn’t have shallots. The dish took me a little longer than usual time noted. The sauce was flavorful and the presentation lovely.
I served with chopped garlic and butter a top of baked sourdough bread. Side salad mix with fresh Swisschard. Dinner was so delicious 😋 that thinking about it makes me hungry.
According to seafood suppliers, Littleneck clams average 9 clams per pound. Your recipe should call for 5 pounds of clams, or 40 – 45 whole littlenecks.
Thank you.
We are loving this recipe. Have had Clams & Linguine in many Italian restaurants; also make at home. This was scrumptious! Will definitely make again.
Hi Jane.
As a former professional chef,and owner of a bistro, our fishmonger who really knew his stuff and sought after, there are 10-12 little neck clams in a pound.
Lisa
bought a 1.62lb of clams (little neck) and only about 18-20…
agree
agree! bought 1.62lb of clams (all they had) (little neck) and only about 18-20…
The smallest clams are called littlenecks amounting to 10-12 clams per pound. The most popular steaming clam in our area but they are often served raw on the half shell with cocktail sauce or even grilled with a squeeze of lemon and some melted butter. Averaging between 12-15/lb.
Thanks!
I used frozen clam meat (sans shells), but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and found the dish to be bland. The second night, with half of the dish remaining, I added half a pound of shrimp, lots more lemon zest and juice, a big pile of extra parsley, a few more dashes of wine, and more Parmesan. It was much tastier.
You changed the recipe and then said it was bland?
Hi Gail,
I agree with RV’s comment. Another point: you didn’t make Jenn’s recipe to begin with. You said what you made was with “frozen clam meat sans shells). You missed out on so much wonderful flavor that fresh clams in their shells bring to the recipe. The shells alone are responsible for so much! There’s a reason Linguine with clams is traditionally cooked & served WITH the shells.
You didn’t make Jenn’s recipe for Linguine with Clams. You used frozen clam meat for what you cooked, included pasta,and the following night having leftovers, put in shrimp & parsley. Just isn’t remotely close to Jenn’s recipe.
You’re missing out on an exceptional recipe. Check out the other reviews. Everyone is loving it❤️.
It doesn’t get much better than Jenn’s recipes & her instructions for success in the kitchen.
Gave 5 stars because Jenn,this is absolutely wonderful! We had 6 for dinner, and this was so easy & everyone loved it!
Thank you again 😊
Hi Jenn,
I’m writing to you from Cyprus, a minuscule Mediterranean island and yet very poor in fresh shellfish availability (the why is another story), so virtually all of our shellfish is imported. I’d love to try out your recipe but can only find frozen clams at our supermarkets. Any idea if I’d have to defrost the clams first (presumably overnight in the fridge) or if I could simply toss them in the pan from frozen with a little longer heating till they open? Many thanks in advance.
PS Apologies for not being able to actually rate the recipe, but it does read like a winner and I will give you feedback when I’ve actually tried it.
Hi Alma in Cyprus 🙂
I haven’t used frozen clams for this but a few readers have commented that they have and have been happy with the results. I would thaw them in the fridge overnight before using them. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Horrible recipe too much white wine gave it a tart flavor instead of the nice buttery garlic flavor that everyone loves with linguini and clams
good to know – might add a bit of butter…
Mostly liked it but it needed parmigiano reggiano cheese when served.Method that I use is to put the pasta directly from the pot on top of the clams when they are just starting to open.I used 60 manila clams that we dug a few hours before making this recipe on a Hoods Canal beach.Cover the pasta in the 12 inch cast iron skillet and don’t add the extra water as the pasta carries enough to do the job and time it for 3 minutes and then add the parsley and lemon juice and zest. I’ll use this recipe with these changes again as it only requires a bit of timing such as putting the clams into the skillet with the wine just a couple minutes before the pasta is done.
So delicious! We made this recipe with muscles from Costco and Italian linguine pasta. Will make it again because to was so tasty.
my store didn’t have as many clams as i wanted so added some muscles – excellent!
Outstanding! and I mean it. Traded 1/2 the wine for 1 cup of clam broth. Other than that I followed the recipe as written here. Good Bye to canned clams.
I made this with the longneck clams and they were large (for two pounds would have been 24 clams total) so I’m making it next time with the manila clams. Any advice? I hear the manila clams are less ‘fishy’ tasting’?
Hi Renee, manila clams should work here. The cooking time will likely be less for them as they’re smaller. Just keep an eye on them and you’ll know that they’re ready when they open. Please LMK how it turns out with them!
Did not rate above but is 5+ stars
Really great!