Spaghetti alle Vongole

Spaghetti alle Vongole

A classic Neapolitan pasta in which fresh clams are opened in a fragrant emulsion of olive oil, garlic and dry white wine, then tossed with spaghetti so the briny juices cling to every strand.

Prep

15 min

Cook

20 min

Total

35 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •400 g (14 oz) spaghetti
• •1 kg (2.2 lb) fresh clams (vongole veraci or lupino), small Mediterranean clams; must be alive when cooking begins
• •120 ml (½ cup) extra-virgin olive oil, good quality, plus extra to finish
• •4 cloves garlic, peeled and gently crushed
• •1 small red chili pepper, peperoncino, optional but traditional in Naples
• •150 ml (⅔ cup) dry white wine, Italian whites like Falanghina, Greco, or Soave work well
• •1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, stems reserved
• •1 tsp fine sea salt, for the pasta water; clams are salty, so taste before adding more
• •0 black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Steps

1. 1 Discard any clams that are cracked or that stay open when tapped; place the rest in a bowl, cover with cold salted water (about 35 g salt per litre) and let them purge for 1–2 hours. Drain and rinse well.
2. 2 Bring 3 litres of water to a rolling boil, add the sea salt, and cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente (about 1 minute less than the package time). Reserve 250 ml of the pasta water before draining.
3. 3 While the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, peperoncino (if using) and the reserved parsley stems; cook gently for 1–2 minutes until fragrant and the garlic is pale gold — do not brown it.
4. 4 Raise the heat to high, add the clams and the white wine. Cover and cook for 2–4 minutes, shaking the pan, until all the clams have opened. Discard any that remain closed.
5. 5 Lift the clams out of the pan with tongs (leaving the cooking liquid behind) and pull the meat from the shells of about one third of them; leave the rest in their shells for presentation. Strain the pan liquid through a fine sieve to catch any grit.
6. 6 Add the drained spaghetti to the pan with the strained clam liquid and toss over medium heat for about 1 minute, splashing in reserved pasta water as needed, until the pasta is coated in a glossy, emulsified sauce and just tender.
7. 7 Return the clam meat (both shelled and in-shell) and most of the chopped parsley to the pan, toss once more, and remove from the heat. Season with black pepper; taste before adding any extra salt.
8. 8 Serve immediately in warmed bowls, drizzled with a little raw olive oil and sprinkled with the remaining parsley.