Linguine alle vongole is inspired by the Mediterranean lifestyle and it is my absolute favorite pasta dish in the world. The salty vongole and smooth long strands of pasta mixed with freshly chopped parsley and crushed garlic are the ultimate match.The traditional Italian vongole has very few ingredients so we are keeping it simple and stripped back here too. It is a particularly popular dish in Campania in Italy. You may notice here I use the stalks of the parsley, usually, they’re discarded, but here they give this dish a lovely sweetness.
Notes
- Linguine alle vongole must be made with the highest quality vongole you can get your hands on!
- Fresh or dry chilli is amazing mixed in with this dish, not to mention freshly ground white pepper.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds vongole - 1 kg
- 2 tablespoons rock salt
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon chile flakes - optional
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes - quartered (optional)
- 10 ounces linguine pasta - 300 grams
- 1 cup white wine - or prosecco
- 5 quarts water
Instructions
Purge the clams:
- Add the clams to a bowl filled with water and 2-4 tablespoons of rock salt then leave to soak for up to 4 hours. If the clams are farm-raised, they can set for as little as 20 minutes, check the bottom of the bowl for any sand that has been purged, change the water until you no longer see any sand in the bottom.
- Once the clams have soaked, strain and rinse them and leave them to the side.
Prepare the parsley and pasta water:
- Add 5 quarts of water to a large pot and leave to boil. This will be used to cook your pasta.
- Cut the ends off the parsley stalks, then finely chop 3-4 tablespoons of the stems and set aside.
- Finely chop about a half cup of the parsley leaves and set aside.
Prepare the base:
- Place a stainless steel skillet on the stove and add 4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
- Using a garlic presser, crush the garlic and add it to the pan.
- Add the chopped parsley stems to the pan and turn on the heat to a medium-high setting.
- If using pepper flakes, add the to the pan now as well.
- Shortly after the olive oil begins to warm, add a tablespoon of water to prevent the garlic from burning.
- Mix the garlic, parsley stems, and oil using a wooden spoon. This is your base for the linguine alle vongole.
Add the clams and wine:
- After approximately 1 minute, add the vongole to the pan and stir through well.
- If using cherry tomatoes, add them to the skillet along with the clams.
- Add a glass of white wine or prosecco to the pan, stir through and put the lid on, leaving the steam to develop inside.
Cook the pasta:
- When your water has started to boil (in the big pot), add 1 tablespoon of rock salt and your pasta. Check your packet instructions for how long it should cook. Set a timer for 3 minutes shy of al dente.
Finish the pasta and sauce:
- While the pasta is cooking, remove approximately 80% of the clams from their shells, adding them back to the pan, and discarding the shells. Set aside the clams that are still in their shells to add back while plating.
- 3 minutes before the linguine pasta is ready, strain it using a hand sieve and add this to the pan too.
- Add ½ mug pasta water to the pan and stir through, this will help the pasta to continue cooking and also to create a much creamier consistency.
- Keep mixing and cooking it for the next 3 minutes, adding a sprinkle of parsley as you go. If you know how to toss the pasta well while it’s in the pan, please do so as this process will create the creamy texture you never thought you could!
- For the last minute, try the technique of tossing the pasta in the pan before serving up a dish nice and hot!
Serve:
- Add a few generous scoops of linguine alle vongole pasta to a serving bowl or plate. Add a small handful of vongole (which were put to the side with the shells) and a generous sprinkle of parsley.