Spaghetti alle Vongole
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The fresher the clams the better spaghetti alle vongole. The name is fun to say and it means spaghetti with clams in Italian, it’s that simple. While the name spaghetti with clams is simple the sauce is anything but boring, it is light, yet rich, without any cream and just a little kick from the crushed red pepper.
While it is not classic, I love the addition of pancetta and a bit of butter in this recipe. The dish comes from the Campania region of Italy, known for its seafood. The recipe comes together quickly and can be made with either fresh clams or canned clams.
This pasta can technically be made in one pan/ pot though I prefer to cook the pasta and steam the clams to make the sauce simultaneously. Serve with plenty of warmed crusty bread for dipping!
Spaghetti alle Vongole
Table of contents
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Clams – It is best to buy clams within about 24 hours of when you plan on cooking with them. Store in a bowl and cover with a damp towel. Do not submerge in water. When preparing to cook the clams test to make sure they are still alive but smelling them, if they smell fresh like the sea then they are still alive. Discard any clams that do not open on their own when steamed.
- Pancetta – Pancetta comes from pork belly and is salted, seasoned, cured and aged for an extended period of time. Pancetta is similar to bacon in flavor though not as smokey. It can be substituted for bacon, speck or guanciale in this recipe or omitted entirely for a meatless version.
- Garlic – Cooking the garlic in the rendered pancetta fat throughly flavors the sauce. I always recommend using fresh garlic – the flavor is much better than any pre-minced jars.
- White wine – White wine is the base for the sauce. Use a dry white wine for spaghetti alle vongole since it won’t overpower the dish by making it too sweet. While I will use just about any white wine in a pinch I prefer cooking with Sauvignon blanc.Never cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink!
- Spaghetti – While this is called spaghetti and clams, linguine or even bucatini is suitable in this recipe.
How to Make Spaghetti Alle Vongole
Step 1: Clean clams.
Scrub clams under cold water to remove any debris and set aside.
Step 2: Cook the pasta.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water then drain and return the pasta to the pot and set aside.
Step 3: Cook pancetta.
Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Add pancetta and cook until the pancetta is crispy and the fat has rendered about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pancetta and set aside.
Step 4: Sauté shallots.
Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Simmer wine.
Stir in the red pepper followed by the wine and bring to a simmer.
Step 6: Steam clams.
Arrange the clams in the pot and increase the heat to high. Cover and steam until the clams open, about 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the clams.
Step 7: Chop clams.
After the clams open, use tongs to transfer them to a bowl, discarding any clams that did not open. Remove half the clams from the shells and roughly chop, leaving some in the shells as garnish.
Step 8: Finish sauce.
Stir the butter into the sauce, continuing to stir until the butter has melted. Add the crispy pancetta back to the pot along with the chopped clams and half the parsley.
Step 9: Assemble.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the pasta to the pot, tossing in the sauce and covering until the pasta is warm and has absorbed some of the sauce, adding ½ cup of the pasta water.
Step 10: Serve.
To serve, use tongs to transfer the pasta to warm pasta bowls. Top the pasta with the reserved clams in the shells and divide the remaining sauce among the bowls; garnish with parsley. Serve immediately with bread on the side to dip in the white wine sauce.
Tips and Tricks for This Recipe
Swaps and substitutions
- This recipe can easily be made meatless by omitting the pancetta.
- Linguine with clams is another popular version of this Italian dish. Simply swap the spaghetti for linguine.
- For easy eating all of the clams can be removed from the shell though I like to leave some in the shell for garnishing.
- Manila clams or cockles can be swapped with the littleneck clams in this pasta.
How to Make this With Canned Clams
If you can’t find fresh clams you can create this recipe using 1 (6.5 ounce) can whole clams with the juices. While it will not be as fresh tasting as steaming clams for this recipe it will do in a pinch.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this spaghetti alle vongole recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:
Spaghetti alle Vongole
Ingredients:
- 5 pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup diced pancetta
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1½ cups dry white wine
- juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup chopped parsley, divided
Instructions:
- Scrub clams under cold water to remove any debris and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water then drain and return the pasta to the pot and set aside.
- Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Add pancetta and cook until the pancetta is crispy and the fat has rendered about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pancetta and set aside.
- Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are tender and translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the red pepper followed by the wine and bring to a simmer.
- Arrange the clams in the pot and increase the heat to high. Cover and steam until the clams open, about 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the clams.
- After the clams open, use tongs to transfer them to a bowl, discarding any clams that did not open. Remove half the clams from the shells and roughly chop, leaving some in the shells as garnish.
- Stir the lemon juice and butter into the sauce, continuing to stir until the butter has melted. Add the crispy pancetta back to the pot along with the chopped clams and half the parsley.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the pasta to the pot, tossing in the sauce and covering until the pasta is warm and has absorbed some of the sauce, adding ½ cup of the pasta water.
- To serve, use tongs to transfer the pasta to warm pasta bowls. Top the pasta with the reserved clams in the shells and divide the remaining sauce among the bowls; garnish with parsley. Serve immediately with bread on the side to dip in the white wine sauce.
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