You can have this delicious seafood pasta recipe with a white clam sauce ready in just under 40 minutes. Packed full of flavor this Linguine with White Clam Sauce is sure to be a favorite!
My husband and I love food and especially seafood. Linguine recipes are among our favorites, so this recipe (one from his childhood) is an obvious winner.
So on special occasions, like his birthday, I like to whip it up for him- even if I can’t enjoy it. I survived the preparation of this dish by wearing non-powder latex gloves the entire time- which I swear by the in kitchen and highly recommend everyone to have.
Why This is the Best Linguine with White Clam Sauce
A quick and easy pasta that both looks and tastes like it came straight from a restaurant- what’s not to love!
- Buttery broth – If you know me, you know I love a good sauce. This buttery sauce is not only easy, but super full of flavor.
- Dinner in under an hour – Most people tend to think a “fancy” seafood dish takes hours to prepare. This simple pasta only takes 35 minutes.
- Elegant yet easy – If you’d like to make a restaurant quality meal that’s also quick and easy, this linguine with clams is your answer.
Ingredients
You can easily find the simple ingredients for this linguine with white clam sauce at your local grocery store.
- Littleneck clams or cherrystone clams – Make sure you thoroughly clean your clams- sand and salt in your sauce will surely dampen the deliciousness factor. Clams are from the sea, and the sea has salt and sand.
- Unsalted butter – When cooking, I almost always prefer to use unsalted butter. that way you’re able to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Shallots – Shallots give a great onion type flavor to this pasta. When sauteed with the garlic in butter, they’re quite fragrant.
- Garlic cloves – I always prefer to use fresh garlic cloves and mince them myself. The flavor packs a bigger punch than the pre-minced jar.
- Italian parsley – Freshly chopped parsley adds a freshness but also a splash of color to this pasta dish.
- White wine – Make sure to use a dry white wine here. A pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc will work well. And then you can serve the rest with dinner!
- Lemons – You will use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the sauce, but I also like to serve this pasta with fresh lemon wedges as well.
- Clams – You can easily find canned clams at your local grocery store. Make sure they are undrained, you will want that extra liquid.
- Linguine – Make sure to boil to al dente according to box directions. You can also toss pasta in buttery sauce, cooking for an additional minute to let the pasta soak up broth.
- Parmesan-Reggiano cheese – You can use regular parmesan cheese if that’s all you have, but freshly grated cheese really takes this pasta over the top.
How to Make Linguine with White Clam Sauce
You can have this pasta ready in no time at all.
- Make sauce. In a large Dutch oven or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic. When pungent and soft, add the parsley, white wine, lemon juice and lemon wedges.
- Add chopped clams and juice. Heat to a simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the chopped clams and clam juice.
- Add whole clams. Add the whole clams and cover to steam. Clams are ready when they open. Discard any clams shells that did not open.
- Toss pasta in sauce. Toss the cooked pasta in the sauce and with clams. Using tongs, evenly divide into bowls. Divide the clams among the bowls and then top with grated cheese and season with freshly ground pepper.
What to Serve with Linguine with White Clam Sauce
As with any pasta, I like to serve this one with a leafy green side salad with garlic dressing. You could even serve with a caesar salad with fresh anchovies to take the seafood aspect of the meal up a notch.
I also like to serve pastas like this with some crusty bread. You can soak up that deliciously buttery sauce with it. Garlic bread is also a great option.
Variations
There are plenty of ways you can make this linguine alle vongole your own.
- More meat – While most traditional recipes also put a can of chopped clams in the sauce, this step is optional, but a cheap way of “meating” up the sauce and serving additional people on a dime.
- Heat – If you’d like a little spice in your life, try adding some red pepper flakes on top of your pasta.
- Pasta – Instead of linguini, you can really use any type of pasta you’d like. Spaghetti or fettuccini would work well.
How to Clean Clams
Clams will still be alive when you bring them home and will need to be cleaned thoroughly to prevent sand and excess salt from getting into the broth.
Place a colander into a large bowl, fill with clams. Cover with cold water and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Clams will suck in the water and clean the insides of themselves in 20 minutes.
Continue to clean clams by scrubbing the exterior of each clam to remove any stuck sand granules. Run cold water over clams until the bottom of the bowl is free from sand and water runs clean and clear. Remove and discard any chipped or broken clams.
Storage and Freezing
You can easily store or freeze any leftover pasta.
How to Store Linguine with White Clam Sauce
Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge. It should stay for up to three days.
Can I Freeze Linguine with Clam Sauce?
Yes, you can freeze this pasta. Add it to an airtight container or freezer bag and keep frozen for up to three months.
Easy Seafood Recipes
We are big fans of seafood in our house, and if you are too, you will love some of our other favorite seafood dinners.
Linguine with Clam Sauce Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 dozen littleneck or cherrystone clams cleaned, see above
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup shallots chopped
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 lemon , cut into wedges, seeds removed
- 10 ounces chopped clams canned and undrained
- 1 pound linguine , cooked al dente according to box directions
- freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano Cheese
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or skillet (large enough for pasta and 4 dozen clams), melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add the shallots and garlic. When pungent and soft, add the parsley, white wine, lemon juice and lemon wedges.
- Heat to a simmer for approximately 3-4 minutes. Stir in the chopped clams and juice.
- Add the whole clams and cover to steam for 5 minutes. Clams are ready when they open. Discard any clams shells that did not open.
- Toss the cooked pasta in the sauce and with clams. Using tongs, evenly divide among 4 large pasta bowls. Divide the clams among the bowls and then top with grated cheese and season with freshly ground pepper.
- If you've tried this recipe come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
This is the second time I’ve made thus. It is delicious. Easy but so good! Thank you❤️
Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Delicious!