Linguine alle vongole (linguine with white clam sauce) is always a hit! This dish is great for the spring and summer months or really anytime you’re in the mood for a light and fresh Italian pasta recipe. The briny clams, white wine, hot pepper flakes, and fresh parsley are the perfect flavor match for the pasta.

This recipe is cooked in bianco. I like white clam sauce for pasta. Without pasta, I prefer Clams In Red Sauce which is quite nice with just a loaf of crusty Italian bread.

Either way, clams are great and it purely comes down to personal preference! When I was a boy my Grandmother made this dish for us quite frequently. Fresh clams were a rare treat so most of the time she made it with canned clams.

I want to say right from the outset you can get great results with good quality canned clams.

For this linguine alle vongole I use both fresh clams (little necks) and canned ones. I like the combo of both and it also adds a lot more clams to the dish which is a good thing! The other ingredient I always use is anchovies. They add a ton of seafood flavor and are a great addition.

If you’d like an easier pantry-style white clam sauce recipe, try this linguine with canned clams.

Ingredients

1 pound linguine
3 dozen little neck clams – Other small bivalves such as manila clams or cockles work great.
10 ounce can baby clams – I used Cento brand. Use any good quality baby canned clams. Using the small baby clams distributes a lot more pieces of clam throughout the dish.
1/2 cup dry white wine – Pinot Grigio works nicely and is great to serve with the finished linguine and clam sauce.
4 anchovies – Canned anchovies come in small tins, also anchovy paste can be used.
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes – A good starting point. Use more according to taste.
10 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley – Definitely try to use fresh parsley.
1/4 cup olive oil – for sauteing the garlic.
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil – For finishing the pasta. Extra virgin olive oil is nice to drizzle on top of pastas right before serving.
Pasta water – Make sure to reserve 2 cups of pasta water for the sauce. You will not need it all but it’s always good to have extra insurance if the pasta dries out while waiting for guests to be seated.

Do The Clams Need To Be Purged?

Purging removes sand from the clams. Clams tend to have a lot of sand because they live in it and are filter feeders. The sand needs to be removed before cooking them.

Most of the time commercial operations purge clams before selling them off to large stores like Costco, Whole foods, etc.

Ask if they are purged before purchasing and if you are unsure and want to do it correctly read this very comprehensive article from Hank Shaw on how to purge clams.

What I do before cooking with purged clams is rinse the clams and remove any loose sand. That’s it!

Linguine With White Clam Sauce Instructions

The first step is to cook pasta to “al dente” in (2 Tbsp kosher salt per gallon of water) a large pot of salted water. Also, chop the garlic. If you like it thin do it that way, if not chop it coarsely. It’s all personal preference!
Finely chop the fresh parsley.

Remove 4 Anchovies and chop them up. By chopping them they will evaporate in the olive oil more quickly.
Drain the baby clams and reserve the clam juice as well.
In a large sauce pan saute garlic and anchovies on medium low in a 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Make sure to reserve some pasta water in a mug or leave the water in the pot if you have a pasta pot with strainer combination.

Once the garlic is nice and golden and the anchovies are mostly dissolved, add the cleaned clams in the pan with the 1/2 cup of white wine to aid in the steaming. Turn the heat to medium-high.
Close the lid and let the clams steam.
Remove the clams as they begin to open with a slotted spoon and place in a separate bowl on the side. They will open at different rates (some take 2 minutes, others 5-7). If any clams are completely closed after about 7-10 minutes they are most likely dead and should be discarded. Keep the clams lightly covered with tented foil to keep warm.
Add the parsley, reserved canned clam juice, 1/4 cup pasta water and the hot red pepper flakes to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is somewhat reduced and thickened.

Turn heat down to medium and add the pasta to the pan. Cook for 1 minute tossing to thoroughly coat and allowing the sauce to absorb into the linguine.
Add the canned baby clams to the pan and mix thoroughly again. Taste test and adjust salt and/or crushed red pepper levels. Finally add the whole clams to the pan and mix. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top and serve. If the linguine alle vongole gets at all dry before serving just add some extra reserved pasta water to loosen it back up.

The key to making this recipe work and avoiding frustration is to make sure to use nice fresh good quality clams. Just find the best seafood place and get the freshest ingredients!

I know Costco has great little neck clams. I love how they sell them in bags with the ship date and origin information. Rarely do I have a bad experience with clams from them, and occasionally get a perfect 100% open rate on the clams!

And remember if you can’t find fresh clams, feel free to make this recipe with only canned clams. If going that route, use two cans instead of one.

Substitutions And Additions

Capers – Capers can add an even brinier flavor to linguine alle vongole. Just be careful with them as they can definitely overpower the dish. The clams should be the predominant flavor. If choosing to use them, 1-2 Tbsp would be a good amount.
White wine – Vermouth can be substituted for white wine. Alternatively, alcohol can be omitted and the dish will still be great. If choosing to remove the wine, a little bit more pasta water will be needed. Not a problem, because extra pasta water has been reserved.
Lemon juice – I love the addition of fresh lemon juice. Start with 1 lemon and work your way up. Linguine alle vongole is nice with some fresh lemon wedges served on the side at the dinner table. This gives your guests the ability to choose exactly the right amount of lemon flavor.
Cream – I do not recommend it as it will really blunt the briny seafood flavor in the dish.
Cheese – Cheese is optional. I do not like it on linguine alle vongole but enjoy it on some seafood dishes. Cheese with seafood is frowned upon in Italy. I elaborate more on this in this Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta Recipe Of Ours.

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The full Youtube video for this recipe is directly below in the recipe card.

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