Linguine with Clams
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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, 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 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
Step 1: Boil the pasta. 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). Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the linguine in a colander (do not rinse).
Step 2: Start 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.
Step 3: Add the cooking liquid and seasoning. Add the wine, red pepper flakes, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ cup of the parsley.
Step 4: Clams go in. Add the clams and bring the liquid to a simmer.
Step 5: Steam the clams. Cover the pan and cook until the clams open, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any that don’t open.
Step 6: Put it all together. 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.
Step 7: Add the final touches. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley; toss to coat evenly and melt the butter.
Step 8: Adjust seasoning and serve. Taste and tweak 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 enjoy!
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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, such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc (see note)
- 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). Drain in a colander (do not rinse), reserving ½ cup (120 ml) 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 (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 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.
Notes
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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So delicious! It is perfect.
If I was to serve this as an appetizer with crusty bread instead of pasta, would you recommend any changes? How many do you think this quantity would serve w as an app?
I definitely want the rich buttery sauce to sop up.
Hi Lil, I think it would safe to assume that it will serve about a dozen as an app. Hope everyone enjoys!
This recipe does not deserve anything less than 5 stars! This is definitely a restaurant quality meal and one serving would easily cost $30+ out. The instructions were easy to follow and the flavor was superb! Highly recommend!
Absolutely delicious! I literally only got 1 bowl because my husband ate 5. That’s a Yumm score for sure.
Tonight instead of White Wine I’ll be adding a Dry Rose’.
Wish me Luck!
Great recipe but next time I would add more garlic, shallot & parsley
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Excellent recipe! My husband will only eat this dish home cooked now! I’ve made it several times following the recipe almost exact, I add a bit more fresh clams and add chicken broth to the boiling pasta water…Delicious 😋😋😋
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Excellent recipe! My husband will only eat this dish home cooked now! I’ve made it several times following the recipe almost exact, I add a bit more fresh clams and add chicken broth to the boiling pasta water…Delicious 😋😋😋
Used regular salt, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and parsley. It was excellent. I have tried kosher salt – just don’t like the taste.
I cooked your Linguine with Clams for my husband, who has tasted every conceivable recipe for this dish and said it was the best he had ever tasted. I only added a little more white wine and let it cook down a bit for five more minutes. The combination of olive oil, white wine, lemon, lemon zest, parsley, and garlic with the clams is a winning combination!
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WOW! I have made linguini with clams many times. I decided to try your recipe almost exactly. (I did use a few more garlic cloves.) This is possibly the best I have ever had. Everything is perfection in this recipe. Thank you for sharing this.
Best dinner I’ve made in ages. Subbed broth for the wine and added extra lemon juice. Delicious!