Spaghetti alle vongole
Naples' clam spaghetti: clams opened in olive oil with garlic, finished with their own sea-salty juices and parsley. No cheese, no tomato.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 30 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- Mild
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Spaghetti alle vongole is clams, olive oil, garlic, parsley and pasta, with a splash of white wine if you like. The sauce is the clams' own liquor, released as they open and pulled together with starchy pasta water into a light, glossy coating. There is no cheese, no cream and, in this version, no tomato; Naples also makes a red one with a few cherry tomatoes. Soak the clams in salted water first so they spit out their sand, and throw away any that stay open when tapped. Drain the spaghetti two minutes early and let it finish in the pan with the clam juice, tossing hard. Done is pasta that tastes of the sea, with just enough sauce to coat each strand and none left pooling on the plate.
What you'll need
8 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Pasta, spaghetti or vermicelli360 g
- Clams, small live clams (vongole veraci), purged1 kg
- Olive oil, extra virgin89 ml
- Garlic, lightly crushed2 clove
- Parsley, flat-leaf, chopped1 handful
- Dry white wine (optional)80 ml
- Fresh chilli, dried peperoncino (optional)1 pinch
- Salt, for the pasta water only4.9 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Soak the clams in cold salted water for an hour, changing the water once, so they release their sand. Discard any with broken shells or that stay open when tapped.
60 min
Step 2
Put the spaghetti on to boil in lightly salted water. In a wide pan warm the oil with garlic and chilli until the garlic is pale gold.
4 min
Step 3
Add the clams and the wine if using, cover and cook over high heat, shaking the pan, until they open, 2–3 minutes. Discard any that stay shut and remove the garlic.
3 min
Step 4
Drain the spaghetti 2 minutes early and finish it in the pan with the clams and their juice, tossing hard and adding pasta water until glossy. Stir in the parsley and serve at once.
3 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 498 kcal
- Protein
- 42.4 g
- Carbs
- 31.1 g
- Fat
- 21.6 g
- Saturated fat
- 3.2 g
- Fibre
- 1.5 g
- Sugar
- 0.7 g
- Sodium
- 668 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Shellfish
- Pescatarian
- Dairy-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 November.
Substitutions
Vongole veraci → Other small clams or cockles
Cockles are sandier; purge them longer.
Tips
- Taste before salting: the clam juice is already salty.
- Serve a little of the juice on each plate and bread to mop it, not cheese.
History & culture
In Naples this is the dish of Christmas Eve, when the meal is fish only, and of every seaside Sunday in summer. Families argue about wine or no wine, garlic left in or fished out, and spaghetti or the thicker vermicelli. They agree on two rules: clams in their shells, and no Parmigiano anywhere near it.
Naples has paired dried pasta with clams for as long as it has made both, and nineteenth-century Neapolitan cookbooks already describe vermicelli with vongole. The thrifty 'vongole fujute', clams that ran away, is the same sauce made with garlic, oil and parsley but no clams at all.
Traditional — Clams, oil, garlic, parsley and pasta. No cheese.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Spaghetti alle vongole take?
1 hr 30 min all in — 15 min prep, 15 min cook, 1 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
Mild.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Shellfish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Pescatarian, Dairy-free.
6 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Frying pan, Saucepan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp (for the pasta water only).
What can I use instead?
Vongole veraci → Other small clams or cockles. Cockles are sandier; purge them longer.
Any tips from this recipe?
Taste before salting: the clam juice is already salty. Serve a little of the juice on each plate and bread to mop it, not cheese.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
Similar dishes
Linguine with prawns, garlic and chilli
Linguine ai gamberi
Coastal Italian linguine with prawns, garlic, chilli, white wine and a few cherry tomatoes, finished in a quick stock made from the shells. No cheese.
MediumMedium heat
Aglio e olio
Garlic, olive oil, chilli and pasta — midnight cooking that only works if the garlic does not burn.
Easy
Spaghetti alla puttanesca
Naples' larder pasta: tomatoes, black Gaeta olives, capers, garlic and chilli, with anchovy as Rome makes it. Loud, quick and cheese-free.
EasyMedium heat