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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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I made this recipe and almost followed it to the T. I live in Arizona, so finding clams this time of the year, is pretty impossible. Instead, I used baby clams in the can. Two cans of them and clam broth with more baby clams. Everything else I followed your instructions. This recipe is amazing and my husband commented it was the best linguini and clams he’s ever had. I felt the exact same way. We traveled along the eastern coast 2 years ago. We had so many wonderful seafood dishes, as you can image. Also, many dishes of linguini and clams and your recipe knocked them all out. I can’t wait to have a dinner party and share this outstanding recipe with my guests. Thanks for sharing your recipe, I feel secure in making/sharing this with them.
This dish makes my wife weak at the knees. Shes not a fan of clams so used shrimp instead super super good. Brined the shrimp shell off in super salty water in fridge for 2 hours before hand, make sure to buy shell on and de vein and peel yourself before brining makes all the difference. Followed exact recipe but sub the clams for the raw brined shrimp.
This recipe is amazing. The whole family loved it. I made it with the 1lb of pasta as instructed but I had ~5lbs of clams because I bought them from Costco – for $20 by the way. Because I had more clams than the recipe called for I added a splash more wine and 1 tablespoon extra lemon just and it was lovely. It made generous portions for 4 people.
Added breadcrumbs garlic and butter as a topping
I followed your instructions and when my husband tasted it, he said “marry me”! I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
I loved this recipe. Made it for the first time this weekend for guests and was told it was better than restaurant seafood they’d had!! Seafood makes me nervous but this was so easy. My grocery store only had 1 pound of clams so I added wild caught shrimp in at the end and it was delicious with the sauce. I think I would’ve preferred all clams though they were my favorite part. Seriously great recipe!
Oh my! Soooooo easy and so delicious! For sure keeping this recipe!! Thanks
Love this recipe-especially the lemon juice and zest!
Made this using one pound of fresh fettuccini and it was a family hit! Absolutely delicious blend of flavors. I followed the recipe as written and will make this again for sure!
First time I made linguini with clams. Delicious!
Tasty dish, but trés cher!! (Pricey)
45 clams alone cost me $40. You should at least write in the option to substitute frozen shelled clams; a much more affordable option at less than half the price.
Additionally, the pasta instructions are split up is such that the the last part, about saving some of the liquid, completely surprised me. I had already strained the pasta by then. As it turned out, that didn’t matter, per my next comment.
Lastly, the pasta soaked up none of the liquid no matter how long I let it sit. Had to drain it off before serving.
The extra sauce is perfect for dipping bread. I’d put some of it with the pasta then serve a good baguette with it.