Spaghetti With Clams

By Nigella Lawson

Updated July 15, 2015

  • Michael Kraus for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(2,509)
Comments
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For me, spaghetti with clams has to be ''white,'' which is to say without a tomato in sight -- and actually the first time I ate it this way was not in Italy but in one of my favorite Italian restaurants in New York, Da Silvano. This was a very long time ago, and I've been hooked ever since. I have specified amounts for a single portion here, because I feel cooking food you love is never something that should be reserved for company. Besides, this is quick and easy to make, and it's important sometimes to give yourself the treat of the perfect supper alone.

Featured in: AT MY TABLE; Tuscany 101: Simplicity Perfected

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Ingredients

Yield:1 serving

  • Salt

  • 8 to 12 littleneck or other small clams in the shell, scrubbed

  • ¼ pound spaghetti

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • ½ to 1 clove garlic, minced

  • ½ dried red chili pepper or ¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

  • ⅓ cup Noilly Prat or other vermouth or white wine

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)

92 grams carbs; 33 milligrams cholesterol; 825 calories; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 30 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 782 milligrams sodium; 31 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, soak clams in cold water.

  2. Step 2

    Add spaghetti to boiling water, and cook until slightly underdone; pasta will finish cooking in sauce. Meanwhile, place a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and add olive oil, garlic and chili pepper. Sauté gently, reducing heat if necessary so garlic does not brown.

  3. Step 3

    Add vermouth and clams, and cover. Clams should open in about 2 minutes. (If pasta is ready first, drain it and toss with a small amount of olive oil.) Add hot drained pasta, cover, and shake pot gently. Allow to simmer for another 1 or 2 minutes until it is done to taste.

  4. Step 4

    Discard any clams that have not opened. Add half the parsley, and shake pan to distribute evenly. Transfer to a plate or bowl, and sprinkle with remaining parsley.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,509 user ratings
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Comments

mjan

When I haven't the time, inclination or supply of fresh clams, a "cheater" version is to use a couple of cans of chopped (not minced) clams from the pantry. Not quite as pretty a presentation, but the taste is there. And a couple of cloves of garlic is a plus.

Jason

I quadrupled the recipe (to make 1 pound of pasta), including the vermouth, which means 1 1/3 cups vermouth. That was a mistake! (Well, not a disaster, but the vermouth flavor was too strong.) Apparently that quantity goes over the amount that can possibly cook down. I note that a Mark Bittman recipe (in How to Cook Everything) uses 1/2 cup wine for a pound of pasta, so that would be my recommendation.

Lynne

This fabulous recipe (which I prefer to Marcella Hazan's published in the Times around 2002) needs the flavorful aromatics found in Noilly Prat vermouth. I used another brand of vermouth when I made the dish last and it did not work as well.

Jan

I've made this with canned clams. It's delicious too!

Cousin Joe

Linguine with clams... not spaghetti

James Stewart

So easy and delicious. As some recommended, I added lemon zest. Nice but hardly essential. The clams opened quite promptly. At first I thought there was too much liquid, but I added the pasta and rapidly boiled it down to a sauce-like consistency. Highly recommended.

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