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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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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.