Spaghetti Vongole Recipe

One of our all time favourites is this classic clam pasta. You can use white wine for that extra flavour but it’s just as good without.

Start as always by boiling water for to cook the pasta. Season the water with 1 tsp salt until it tastes like salt water. We are using spaghetti today, but linguine is also good for this. Seasoning the pasta water here will also give your noodles flavour as we won’t be using salt elsewhere.

Boil the pasta until 80 percent of it’s suggested cooking time. Strain the spaghetti and retain the pasta water. 

Sauté in a clean pan, some chilli slices (optional) and 5 cloves of thinly sliced garlic in a generous amount of virgin olive oil. After a few minutes, an aromatic garlic oil will form. Add half a packet of clams and sauté for a few minutes.

Add a dash of white wine and cook for a minute or so to let the alcohol cook off. Add a ladle of the pasta water and let the mixture boil at high heat until the clams open. Add a handful of freshly chopped parsley. 

Once the clams open, add the spaghetti. Quickly mix and toss until the pasta has absorbed most of the liquid. Once the pasta is fully coated, turn off the flame. 

Add more chopped parsley, black pepper, and a few more drizzles of olive oil. You can also add 1 tbsp butter for an added layer of buttery flavour.

The last part is the most important. Toss again to emulsify the olive oil, butter and pasta water, giving the spaghetti a glossy and almost cream like texture. Then simply serve or even eat from the pan. Get it right, and you won’t be ordering soggy vongole from outside anymore.

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