Hailing from the south of Italy is spaghetti vongole. A light and fresh pasta dish, Spaghetti alle vongole translated into spaghetti with clams. What I love about this dish is that it’s a celebration of fresh and minimal ingredients. Fresh seafood, good quality wine, fresh herbs. So, let’s explore the classic Italian dish that celebrates the sea… this is Spaghetti alle Vongole.
Spaghetti alle Vongole
There’s a few basics you need to understand to really nail this dish. It’s a must that you use fresh seafood! Nothing frozen, not for this celebration of freshness. Although region to region this dish can shapeshift, the one thing that remains the same is that the seafood is fresh from the ocean, so don’t skip this step!
You could also make your own fresh pasta as well. Although fiddly, there’s nothing quite like fresh pasta made by hand, with love. Although the recipe calls for spaghetti, when it comes to pairing vongole with fresh pasta, the shape isn’t as important.
Anchovy, really?
Anchovies are like olives: you love them or hate them. But they also add such a great umami flavour to dish that anchovy haters can miss out on. These recipes don’t so much celebrate the flavour of anchovies but rather they become a flavour bomb in the dish that disguises the fishiness and gives the dish depth. So, long story short – don’t skimp on the anchovies! You will not regret it. They will melt into the sauce and it’s almost as if they were never there!
To add or subtract
One of the options that you can skip with this dish is chilli flakes. Add as much as you like to your own taste, or don’t add any at all. It’s about your personal preference! The dish is just as delicious without it.
So, if you’re looking for a delicious crowd-pleasing yet easy to knock up pasta recipe – look no further! It looks super complex but is simple to whip out. And, trust me, the crowd will love it.
Cooking with clams (vongole)
This may be slightly intimidating to a home cook but they are surprisingly a very easy protein to cook with! Toss them into the sauce and patiently wait for their little shells to pop open. You can shake the pan side to side to encourage this or you can even pop a lid on. The steam will speed this process up.
Some clams may need to be cleaned prior to using. Make sure you read the packet or ask your fishmonger to see if this step is needed. To clean clams, place them into lightly salted cold water for 30 minutes to allow for the sand that lives within their shells to be spat into the water. If the water is grainy, the clams have spat their sand. Then all you have to do is drain and rinse them under cold water.
If you make this Spaghetti Vongole, please tag me on Instagram, Tik Tok or Pinterest so I can see your wonderful creations!If you have any questions or would like to leave a review, please do so here! I always love answering your food and recipe related questions and hearing your feedback on my recipes.
Images by Alanna Penna photography.
Spaghetti Vongole
Classic Italian dish that celebrates the sea, this is Spaghetti Vongole.
Ingredients
- 500 g vongole or clams 1lb
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves sliced
- 3 anchovy fillets
- 1 chilli sliced (optional)
- 3 parsley stalks
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 250 g spaghetti 9oz
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley diced
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the pasta packet instructions. Drain the pasta 2 minutes before the suggested el dente cook time as the pasta will continue to cook when we toss it through the sauce. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
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In a large saucepan on a medium heat, bring the olive oil to heat. Add the garlic, anchovies, chilies and parsley stalks to the pan and sautee for 2–3 minutes or until the anchovies have slightly dissolved into the oil and the garlic is translucent and fragrant. Ensure you stir quite consistently to prevent the garlic from burning.
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Remove the parsley stalks from the pan and discard.
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Increase the heat to high and add the vongole to the pan. Stir through the sauce and then add the white wine. Cook for 5 minutes or until the vongole shells have opened.Shake the pan to encourage them to open.
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Remove the vongole from the pan and pick out the meat. Discard the shells and set the meat to the side. You can keep some vongole meat in their shells for plating at the end.
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Turn the heat to low and toss the spaghetti through the sauce with a splash of pasta water. Add more pasta water if needed
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Turn the heat off and stir through the fresh parsley and vongole meat. Serve and top with any vongole in their shells that you may have reserved.