Spaghetti with clams in bianco, the classic recipe
Spaghetti with fresh clams in bianco: clams purged and opened with garlic, oil, white wine and parsley, then tossed with the pasta in their own liquid. A seafood classic.
Are you looking for the real recipe for spaghetti with clams, the in bianco kind with no tomato?
Then you are in the right place. I’ll walk you through it step by step: a true seafood classic, with fresh clams opened in the pan with garlic and oil, deglazed with white wine and bound to the pasta in their own liquid. No frills, just the clean taste of the sea.
The secret to this dish lies in one simple but decisive move. The liquid the clams release as they cook is liquid gold, salty and fragrant in just the right way: straining it to remove every trace of sand and using it to toss the spaghetti is what makes the sauce creamy and full of flavour without adding anything else.
Compared to many elaborate seafood pastas, this recipe has at least three advantages: it comes together in half an hour, it asks for very few ingredients, and it puts the main ingredient front and centre, with no sauces to drown it.
One detail that makes all the difference: never skip the purging. Keep the clams in cold salted water for at least half an hour so they lose their sand and open clean in the pan. If you love a little heat, leave the chilli in the oil; for the red version, just add a few cherry tomatoes.
Spaghetti with clams should be eaten the moment they are ready, steaming hot, because the pasta keeps absorbing liquid: this is not a dish to reheat. And remember, no cheese, it would cover the scent of the sea.
Ready? Let’s make the spaghetti with clams.
Steps
- Purge the clams in cold salted water for at least 30 minutes so they release their sand, then rinse them under running water.
- In a wide pan, heat the oil with one garlic clove and the chilli, add the clams, cover and let them open over high heat for 5-10 minutes. Pour in the white wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
- Remove the clams, shell some of them if you prefer, and strain the cooking liquid to get rid of the sand: this is the secret to creaminess.
- Cook the spaghetti in salted water and drain them very al dente. Transfer them to the pan with the strained clam liquid and toss for 2-3 minutes until the pasta absorbs the liquid and turns glossy.
- Return the clams, turn off the heat, add the chopped parsley and a drizzle of raw oil. Toss again and serve immediately.
Helpful tips
Do not skip the purging step: sand ruins the dish. Use cold salted water for at least half an hour.
Always strain the clam liquid and use it to toss the pasta: that is where the taste of the sea lives.
No cheese on spaghetti with clams: it would mask the flavour of the sea.
This is the Neapolitan in bianco version, with no tomato; for the red one, add a few cherry tomatoes to the pan.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 65.0 g
- Sugars
- 3.0 g
- Protein
- 20.0 g
- Fat
- 11.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.5 g
- Fiber
- 3.0 g
- Sodium
- 600 mg
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