Italian recipe

Spaghetti alle Vongole

Name: Spaghetti alle Vongole
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: 360 g spaghetti; 1 kg small live clams, scrubbed and purged; 40 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 12 g garlic, thinly sliced; 120 ml dry white wine; 15 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 0.5 g dried chile flakes, optional; 3 L water for boiling pasta; 18 g fine salt for pasta water

Spaghetti finished in the briny liquor released by clams with garlic, white wine, parsley and olive oil. The clam liquid and pasta water emulsify into a light glossy sauce.

Italy

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 45 min
Servings: 4

Spaghetti alle vongole with open clams, garlic and parsley — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Flickr user: [2] , retouched by AMSource page · Original file · CC BY 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

360 g
spaghetti
1 kg
small live clams, scrubbed and purged
40 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
12 g
garlic, thinly sliced
120 ml
dry white wine
15 g
flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
0.5 g
dried chile flakes, optional
3 L
water for boiling pasta
18 g
fine salt for pasta water

Method

01
Check and purge the clams
Discard cracked clams and any open shell that does not close when tapped. Keep cleaned clams cold until cooking; rinse once after purging to remove surface grit.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Boil the spaghetti
Boil 3 L water with 18 g salt. Cook spaghetti until 3 minutes short of package al dente. Reserve 300 ml pasta water.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Steam the clams open
Heat 25 ml oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Cook garlic and optional chile 30 seconds, add clams and wine, cover and cook 3–5 minutes, shaking once, until shells open. Move opened clams to a bowl as they are ready; discard any that remain closed.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Finish pasta in clam liquor
Transfer the undercooked spaghetti into the clam liquor with 100 ml pasta water. Toss over medium-high heat 2–3 minutes until al dente and glossy, adding more water only if dry.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Return clams and parsley
Turn off the heat. Add opened clams, parsley and remaining 15 ml olive oil; toss gently for 30 seconds and serve at once.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Reserve pasta water before draining; its starch helps the sauce cling without adding cream.
Finish the pasta in the sauce and serve at once; the texture changes quickly as it stands.

Common mistakes

Do not cook the pasta fully in plain water; leave it firm enough to finish in the sauce.
Add pasta water gradually; too much at once makes the sauce thin and difficult to emulsify.

Substitutions

Use another durum-wheat pasta of similar thickness when the named shape is unavailable.
Use a well-aged hard Italian-style cheese with similar salt and fat when the specified cheese is unavailable.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 2 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water; creamy pasta is best eaten fresh.

Cultural context

Spaghetti alle vongole is strongly associated with coastal Campania and Naples. The sauce depends on the clams’ own liquor, so freshness and careful salting matter.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Spaghetti alle vongole — Photograph by Flickr user: [2] , retouched by AM; CC BY 2.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Italian recipes

Spaghetti alle Vongole

Ingredients

Method

Check and purge the clams

Boil the spaghetti

Steam the clams open

Finish pasta in clam liquor

Return clams and parsley

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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