~56 cal · 0g protein · 4g carbs · 2g fat (estimated, per serving)
🍽️
Spaghetti with clams in their shells, parsley, and olive oil
🇮🇹 Campania
On the Naples waterfront, vongole is Christmas Eve food and everyday food at once — bianco, no tomato, so nothing hides the clams. The sauce is nothing but their liquor, wine, and oil emulsified in the pan; the discipline is stopping there.
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Make it yours
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🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
•
2 lbs small clams (vongole), purged in salt water
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1 lb spaghetti
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4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
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2/3 cup dry white wine
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1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
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a pinch red chili flakes
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1/3 cup olive oil
Instructions
1
Warm the garlic and chili in the oil until fragrant — never browned.
2
Add the clams (or mushrooms and kombu-wine) and the wine; cover and steam 3–4 minutes until the shells open. Discard any that stay shut.
3
Cook the spaghetti 2 minutes shy of al dente.
4
Drag the pasta into the pan with a cup of its water and finish it there, tossing hard so the starch and clam liquor emulsify into a clinging glaze.
5
Shower with parsley and good oil. No cheese — Naples insists.
Bay of Naples, Campania tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Campania. Naples’ bay, where garlic, oil, and the sea meet spaghetti.
🗺️
Italy. Twenty regions, twenty utterly different cuisines.
🌍
Europe. Village recipes guarded for generations.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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