Clam Sauce Recipe

clam sauce with pasta in a large skillet.

5 from 5 votes

Learn how to make classic clam sauce ~ an Italian American dish made with tender clams, fruity olive oil, garlic, white wine, clam juice, and lots of fresh parsley!

Total Time40

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 590kcal

Author: Sue Moran

Equipment

large Dutch oven, skillet, or braising pan

Ingredients

2 lbs Littleneck clams
10 ounce can whole baby clams
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 shallot, finely minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup reserved clam juice from canned clams
3 Tbsp butter
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
black pepper
3/4 lb strand pasta, either spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini

garnish

Parmesan cheese, optional
lemon wedges

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Give your Littleneck clams an initial rinse in cold water to remove any debris. Check each clam for any cracks, chips, or open shells. Discard any clams that are cracked, broken, or don't close when tapped.
Soak (purge) them in a large bowl of salted cold water for 30 minutes. This allows them to purge any impurities or sand that's inside the shell. You'll notice little bubbles rising and some of the shells opening partially.
Drain and rinse again under cold running water.
Give the clams a final inspection, discarding any that are still open or have damaged shells. To test open shells, tap them on the counter...if they close they're good to go, but if they remain open, discard them.
While the clams are soaking start your sauce. Drain the canned clams and reserve the liquid. Set both aside.
In a large pan big enough to hold the entire recipe heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic, shallots, dried oregano and red pepper for a minute or two, stirring almost constantly.
Add the white wine and reserved clam juice (which should be about 1/2 cup) to the pan and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce a bit.
Meanwhile cook the pasta in salted water until al dente.
Add the canned clams to the sauce, along with the cleaned littleneck clams, spreading them out across the pan in a single layer. Bring back to a boil, turn down the heat, cover the pan, and steam until the clams open, about 5 minutes. Give them a stir to redistribute a couple of times during steaming.
Remove the shelled clams to a plate. Add the cooked pasta to the pan. I like to use tongs to transfer it directly from the pot to the pan, although this requires careful timing to get everything ready at the same point. It's fine if a little starchy water comes along with the pasta. Give everyhing a good toss with the butter, lemon juice and fresh parsley.
Arrange the shelled clams back into the pot, nestling them down into the pasta a little bit. Your dish is ready to serve. I like to add fresh cracked black pepper, and some might like a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Note: In Italian cooking it's often advised to avoid adding cheese to seafood pasta dishes like linguine with clam sauce, but we like add grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano. To each his own :)

Nutrition