Linguini With Clams

Linguini With Clams
Linguini With Clams

If you knew my mother, you’d know her favorite dish of all time is Linguini with clams. It was on a spontaneous trip to Italy last year where, somewhere in Rome, she said she found the best linguini with clams she has ever had. To be honest, this restaurant wasn’t even in the heart of Rome, it was quite far south in a suburb of the capital, and it was a little family owned joint with just 6 tables. We went back three times during a week’s stay. While I don’t claim that my recipe measures up to theirs, I have to say it comes pretty darn close. The lemony-wine garlic sauce that just lightly coats the noodles as absolutely one of the best pasta sauces ever.

One of my favorite things about this dish is how quick it is to make. From start to finish it takes about 10 minutes, provided your clams are clean of any sand. If you buy clams right from a fish monger, you’re going to want to soak them in salt water for about a half hour before you start cooking so they can rid themselves of any sand.

You’ll also want to make sure none of the clams you use are dead. Discard any with broken shells, or ones that don’t close when you touch them. If the clam is dead when you buy it, who knows how long it was dead before.

Linguini With Clams Ingredients

  • 500 grams Littleneck Clams. These are probably the most common variety of clam in linguini with clams and are sold in most supermarkets. I like them because they cook well in the sauce.
  • 200 grams Linguini. You can also use spaghetti noodles (which I actually prefer) as they have a bit more “bite” to them. Any long thin noodle is fine though.
  • 3 cloves Garlic; minced. More or less to taste for your own dish.
  • 1/2 Lemon; large. You are going to be using the zest as well, so no using pre-packaged lemon juice. Fresh all the way for this recipe.
  • 1 Shallot; chopped
  • 200 ml Dry White Wine.
  • 3 tbsp Butter.
  • Olive Oil. No real measurement, just enough to start sauteing the shallot in the beginning. Probably around a tablespoon or two.
  • 1 handful Parsley; roughly chopped
  • Salt and Pepper; to taste

Linguini With Clams Instructions

As this dish is fairly quick, start boiling a pot of heavily salted water first. The linguini takes just 7 minutes for al dente so you can toss the noodles in as soon as the water reaches a rolling boil.

In a saucepan on medium high add the olive oil and chopped shallots. When translucent add the minced garlic and cook for about 15 seconds. Then add the white wine.

Add all the littleneck clams to the saucepan, and at the same time the pot of water should be boiling. Add the linguini now. Add the juice of 1/2 a lemon and put a lid on the sauce pan. Turn the heat to medium and let cook without touching it for 5-7 minutes, about when all the clams will open.

Add the butter, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste to the saucepan, as well as three tablespoons of the pasta water the noodles are cooking in. Then drain the noodles and toss them all in the saucepan. Toss to mix. Garnish the linguini with clams with a lemon wedge and some more parsley leaves.

Notes

You can add some red pepper flakes to give it some added spiciness.

linguini and clams

Linguini With Clams

A classic Italian dish, linguini with clams is simple yet delicious. A garlicky lemon butter sauce pairs perfectly with the clams in this famous pasta dish.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2 people
Calories

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams Littleneck Clams
  • 200 grams Linguini Pasta or Spaghetti
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 1/2 Lemon fresh, since we’ll also use the zest
  • 1 Shallot chopped
  • 200 ml Dry White Wine
  • 3 tbsp Butter
  • Olive Oil
  • Parsley roughly chopped
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • As this dish is fairly quick, start boiling a pot of heavily salted water first. The linguini takes just 7 minutes for al dente so you can toss the noodles in as soon as the water reaches a rolling boil.
  • In a saucepan on medium high add the olive oil and chopped shallots. When translucent add the minced garlic and cook for about 15 seconds. Then add the white wine.
  • Add all the littleneck clams to the saucepan, and at the same time the pot of water should be boiling. Add the linguini now. Add the juice of 1/2 a lemon and put a lid on the sauce pan. Turn the heat to medium and let cook without touching it for 5-7 minutes, about when all the clams will open.
  • Add the butter, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste to the saucepan, as well as three tablespoons of the pasta water the noodles are cooking in. Then drain the noodles and toss them all in the saucepan. Toss to mix. Garnish with a lemon wedge and some more parsley leaves.
Keyword Linguini With Clams

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