Spaghetti Alle Vongole is a dish of spaghetti pasta cooked with fresh clams, parsley, garlic and olive oil, and a few more ingredients that may vary from one recipe to another. It originates from the coastal areas of Southern Italy – to be more precise, Naples – but has gained popularity all over the country as well as abroad. The light sauce with unmistakable flavours of the sea time after time evokes a feeling of summer, ocean and alfresco dining on a long peaceful evening. No wonder that spaghetti alle vongole are seen as a quintessential summer dish, no matter where you are in the world.
The Flavour Affair:
Clams + Garlic + White Wine + Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Parsley
An absolute classic in one of its simplest forms: al dente spaghetti in a delicate emulsion of clam brine, white wine, olive oil, garlic and fresh parsley.
Clams: there are many regional variations of this dish, and that includes the types of clams. You will find recipes featuring anything from tiny lupini to classic vongole veraci. But really you can use any type you like – the procedure remains the same. Just make sure the clams are super fresh (alive, in fact).
Garlic: it’s all about the balance. While you should be able to both smell and taste garlic, a little too much can be overpowering. My rule of thumb is 1 garlic clove per 1kg of clams.
White Wine: although the addition of white wine is a more modern variation, these days the ingredient is almost canonical. Dry, crisp white wine adds complexity to the sauce with an aromatic trail of fruity and citrus notes. Both classic Italian Pinot Grigio or a young Sauvignon Blanc are good here.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): bright and fragrant, it further enhances the flavours of the sauce. To make it more authentic, get a great quality Italian evoo: peppery and a little bitter, with grassy freshness and a warm summery feel.
Parsley is essential for Spaghetti Alle Vongole, and I like to add it during different stages of cooking. About half a table spoon goes into the sauce for the flavours to impart and blend in. The rest is sprinkled over the ready dish for a bolder, brighter finish.
More often than not, I would also use red chili flakes – just a little pinch for a mild kick. And I always round it off with a couple of grinds of black pepper mill.
Preparation tips for Spaghetti Alle Vongole:
Let’s start with choosing the clams. To ensure they are fresh (and alive), they need to be stored properly. Your best bet is to pick them off ice, packed into a mesh bag so that they can breath.
Next, check the clams one by one and discard those with broken shells.
Then, you need to thoroughly clean them. This is the most important step, because nothing ruins a dining experience like grains of sand on your teeth. Here’s what has to be done:
- Wash the clams. Start by rinsing them under running cold water. I then usually use a toothbrush to scrub off stubborn bits of dirt, both from the crevices and on the outside.
- Soak the clams. Soaking allows the clams to open and release the sand and gunk that’s still inside. Important: you need to use sea salt for this step, at the ratio of 30g of sea salt per 1l of water. Fill a large bowl with cold tap water, add the salt and whisk for it to dissolve. Add the clams and make sure they are completely submerged; place the bowl into a cool corner of your kitchen. Allow the clams to sit in the water for 1.5-2 hours, then take them out with a blotted spoon.
- Rinse again. Place the clam into a colander and rinse with clean water from the tap.
And now, they are ready!
There are different ways to cook the clams for spaghetti alle vongole, and I prefer the method where they are precooked. This allows to remove the meat from some of them beforehand, making it easier to enjoy the pasta. The process is following:
- Heat a large pot to medium-high, add the clams and cook, covered, for 3-5 minutes until they open. Discard the ones that haven’t, remove from the pot and reserve the liquid they have produced. If you feel that even after soaking the liquid is not clean enough, strain it through a fine mesh.
- Let the clams cool down and remove the meat from about 2/3 of them.
- In a pan, fry garlic and chili flakes (if using) in 2 tbsp of evoo until the garlic turns fragrant. Add the clams with their liquid, 1/2 tbsp chopped parsley, another table spoon of evoo and 2/3 glass of white wine.
- Allow the liquid to simmer until the alcohol evaporates and turn the heat off.
- Cook spaghetti to al dente, drain and reserve 1/2 cups of starchy pasta water. Add the spaghetti to the pan with the clams and toss everything together. Add a little cooking water if the pasta seems dry.
- Try and season with salt to taste. Sprinkle with more fresh parsley and serve immediately.
Enjoy your pasta with some fresh bread to mop up every last bit of the delicious and delicate sauce!
Looking for more seafood pastas? Make sure to try out my Ultimate Lobster Pasta Recipe!
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Spaghetti Alle Vongole (Easy and Authentic)
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot
- 1 medium pot
- 1 large pan or skillet
Ingredients
- 2 kg of fresh clams
- 320 g spaghetti pasta
- 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 glasses of dry white wine
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley divided
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes optional
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
- Sea salt for soaking
Instructions
- Check the clams and discard those with broken shells.
- Thoroughly rinse the clams under running cold water. Use a brush (can be a simple toothbrush) to scrub off the dirt from the crevices and the outside.
- In a large bowl, dissolve 30g of sea salt per each litre of cold water. Place the clams into the bowl and make sure they are fully submerged.
- Allow the clams to sit in the water for 1.5-2 hours, then take them out with a blotted spoon.
- Rinse once again under running water.
- Heat a medium pot to medium-high. Pour in the clams, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until they open. Discard those that haven’t.
- Reserve the liquid they have produced. If the liquid still seems not clear enough, strain it through a fine sieve.
- Allow the clams to cool and remove the meat from about 2/3.
- In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to medium.
- Add garlic and chili flakes (if using) and fry for a couple of minutes until the garlic turns fragrant.
- Add the clams with their liquid, half of the parsley, 2 more table spoons of evoo and 2/3 glass of white wine.
- Simmer until the alcohol evaporates and turn the heat off.
- Cook spaghetti one minute short of al dente.
- Drain and reserve 1/2 cups of starchy pasta cooking water.
- Add the spaghetti to the pan with clams and heat through. Add a little pasta cooking water if the pasta seems dry.
- Taste and adjust for salt, if necessary.
- Sprinkle with the remaining parsley, finish off with a grind of black pepper mill and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can use Pinot Grigio or a young Sauvignon Blanc for this recipe.
- Spaghetti alle vongole don’t keep well, so best serve them immediately.
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