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A close-up of pasta with clams in their shells, garnished with herbs and breadcrumbs, served on a speckled plate.

Bucatini alle Vongole

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A nostalgic, comforting pasta dish featuring briny clams in a garlicky white wine sauce. Bucatini soaks up all the flavor while chili breadcrumbs add crunch. It’s a weeknight favorite.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 2
Course: Dinner, Main Course, Seafood
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Clams & Sauce
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 lb fresh small clams littlenecks, Manilas, or cockles
  • 1 tbsp polenta
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil plus more to finish
  • 2 garlic cloves very thinly sliced
  • ⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • ½ lb dried bucatini
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 handful fresh parsley small, minced
Optional
  • Chili breadcrumbs for topping

Equipment

  • Large bowl
  • Measuring cups/spoons
  • Tongs
  • Pasta pot
  • Large Skillet
  • Slotted spoon

Method
 

Purge the Clams
  1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and stir in 1 tbsp polenta.
  2. Add clams and let soak for 30 minutes. Lift out, discard water.
  3. Repeat soaking with fresh water 1–2 more times until clams no longer release sand. Discard clams that remain open after tapping.
Cook the Sauce
  1. In a large skillet, combine olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until garlic is lightly golden, ~5 min.
  3. Add white wine and clams, cover, increase heat to high.
  4. Cook, checking every 30 seconds and removing clams as they open (about 5 minutes total). Discard any unopened clams.
  5. Let clams cool, then remove meat from most. Reserve a few in shell for garnish. Roughly chop large clam meat if needed.
Cook the Pasta
  1. In lightly salted water, cook bucatini until just shy of al dente (about 1 min under package instructions). Reserve 1 cup pasta water.
Finish the Dish
  1. Add pasta to skillet with white wine sauce and a few tbsp pasta water. If the sauce looks tight or greasy, add pasta water a tablespoon at a time, tossing between additions, until it looks silky.
  2. Cook over high heat, tossing to coat until sauce becomes creamy.
  3. Stir in butter, clam meat, and shell-on clams. Cook until heated through, ~1 min.
  4. Add more pasta water 1 tbsp at a time if sauce gets too dry or greasy.
  5. Season with salt, stir in parsley and a fresh drizzle of olive oil.
To Serve
  1. Divide between bowls, top with chili breadcrumbs if using, and serve immediately.

Notes

Storage: best eaten immediately, since pasta with clams doesn't reheat well. If needed, refrigerate, sealed, for up to 1 day and reheat gently with a splash of water.

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