Spaghetti alle
Vongole
Campanian spaghetti with clams
Clams, garlic and white wine give spaghetti a light, savory sauce, finished with parsley and a little starchy pasta water.
Clams & spaghetti, with tomato and lemon additionsClams and pasta,
a Campanian coastal plate.
Spaghetti alle vongole combines pasta with clams and the flavorful juices they release during cooking. Garlic, olive oil and parsley support the shellfish without making a heavy sauce. A final toss in the pan helps the liquid coat each strand.
The dish is strongly associated with Naples and Campania, though it appears along many Italian coasts. There are white and tomato versions. The home recipe below chooses in bianco, without tomato, and begins with purged live clams from a fishmonger. The photograph has a few tomato pieces and lemon wedges; those are separate additions to the white preparation.
Explore by food: Fish & seafood · Pasta
Let’s make spaghetti alle vongole.
Four first-course portions in bianco. Start with purged live clams; the photographed tomato and lemon are not included in this white-sauce version.
Four first-course portions from 1.2 kg purged live clams, weighed shell-on.
Heat the pasta water while the clams steam. Cooking includes straining, shelling and the final pasta toss; any supplier-directed additional purge is separate.
What you’ll need
- 360 gspaghetti
- 1.2 kgpurged live small clams, such as Manila clams
- 60 mlextra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 3garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 100 mldry white wine
- 100 mlwater, for steaming clams
- ¼ tspdried chili flakes
- 3 tbspchopped parsley
- 4 lwater, for pasta
- 10 gcoarse salt, for pasta water, adjusted after tasting clam juices
If the fishmonger recommends additional purging, complete that separately according to their instructions and allow the extra time before starting. Straining cooking liquid removes grit but does not replace buying and inspecting live clams. Salt pasta water lightly because clam juices vary in saltiness.
How to make it
- 01
Inspect and rinse
Keep clams refrigerated until cooking. Rinse and scrub under cold running water; discard cracked or open clams. Start with clams already purged by the supplier.
- 02
Steam the clams
In a wide lidded pan, warm 30 ml oil with garlic and chili for 2 minutes. Add wine and the 100 ml steaming water and bring to a vigorous simmer. Add clams, cover and steam for 7–9 minutes, shaking occasionally, until fully open and cooked through. Discard any that remain closed.
- 03
Strain the juices
Lift clams into a clean bowl. Strain their liquid through a fine sieve lined with damp kitchen paper; discard garlic and grit. Taste and reserve up to 200 ml liquid. Shell about half the clams and keep the rest in their shells.
- 04
Cook and finish the pasta
Bring the 4 l pasta water to a boil while clams steam, then, after tasting the clam juices, add up to the measured 10 g salt and cook spaghetti for 2 minutes less than its packet time. Reserve 300 ml pasta water before draining. Return strained clam liquid and remaining 30 ml oil to the pan. Add spaghetti and toss over medium heat for about 2 minutes until tender with a slight bite, adding pasta water in splashes as needed. Use less clam liquid if very salty.
- 05
Warm the clams
Add clam meat and shell-on clams just long enough to heat through, then fold in parsley. Serve immediately, dividing the shells among four plates.
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