TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Spaghetti alle VongoleSpaghetti with Clams
- Total
- 2 hr 23 min
- Difficulty
- ★★★☆☆
- Serves
- 2 servings
- Prep 4 min
- Cook 19 min
- Rest 2 hr
A simple pasta finished with clam juices and olive oil. Vongole bianco is the traditional Neapolitan style, with no tomato.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (2 servings)
100Authenticity- Clams (vongole)500 gPurge for 2 hours in 3% salt water, 30 g salt per 1 L, then scrub just before cooking.
- Spaghetti200 g
- Garlic3 clovesCrushed
- Extra virgin olive oil60 ml
- Dry white wine100 ml
- Flat-leaf parsley1 bunchFinely chopped
- Chili pepper1 piece
Method
Purge the clams
- 1 Spread 500 g clams in a tray without overlapping and cover just to their level with 3% salt water, 30 g salt per 1 L.
- 2 Cover with foil or similar and leave in a dark place to purge for 2 hours.
Clean clams and prepare aromatics
- 1 MeanwhileWhile preparing aromatics, start bringing a large pot of water to a boil, with 10 g salt per 1 L.
- 2 Drain the purged clams and rub the shells together under running water, then drain.
- 3 Discard cracked clams and those that remain open and will not close.
- 4 Finely chop the parsley.
- 5 Crush the garlic with the flat of a knife.
Infuse garlic and chili
- 1 Heat 60 ml olive oil, crushed garlic and chili in a frying pan over low heat to release their aromas.
Ready when
Continue when the garlic colors lightly and smells fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Steam clams in white wine
- 1 Add clams, raise to medium heat, pour in 100 ml white wine and cover.
- 2 Once all clams open, about 3–5 minutes, remove them and reserve the liquid.
Boil the spaghetti
- 1 Add spaghetti to the prepared boiling salted water and cook for 2 minutes less than the package time.
- 2 Reserve 100 ml cooking water.
Emulsify and coat
- 1 Transfer pasta to the frying pan, add reserved clam juices and cooking water, and toss over high heat for 1–2 minutes while emulsifying.
Ready when
It is ready when the sauce clings firmly and glossily to the pasta.
Return clams and finish
- 1 Return the clams and scatter with chopped parsley to finish.
About this dish
Clams landed at dawn by fishermen in the Bay of Naples become pasta that same morning: spaghetti alle vongole takes the Mediterranean's bounty to the table by the shortest route.
Along Campania's coast, the vongole verace, or quickly made, style using local beach clams remains dominant. A minimal set of white wine, garlic, parsley and olive oil draws the clams' savor into the sauce.
There are bianco, white, and rosso, red with tomato, versions, but bianco is overwhelmingly the Neapolitan mainstream. Many cooks say tomatoes conceal the clams' delicate savor.
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