Vermicelli with clam sauce is a quick Italian seafood pasta of fresh clams, garlic, chili and chopped tomatoes, ready in about 35 minutes. It serves 4 and tastes like the sea in a bowl, with very little work.
Why This Recipe Works
The clams open in a covered pot over low heat, and the milky liquid they give off stays in the pot. Save it. That liquid is salty and full of clam flavor, so it seasons the sauce better than plain water or stock would.
Garlic and chili go into the oil gently and never brown. Browned garlic turns bitter and would take over the delicate clams. Soft, pale garlic gives a sweet base and the chili adds a little heat.
The clams go into the sauce for only 1 to 2 minutes. They are already cooked, and longer heat makes them rubbery. Holding a few clams in their shells for the top also makes the bowl look like a restaurant dish.
Vermicelli with Clam Sauce Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh clams in their shells
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
- 1 small chili pepper, finely chopped
- 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
- 13 ounces dried vermicelli
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
How To Make Vermicelli with Clam Sauce
Open the clams
- Wash the clams: Wash the clams well under cold water. Throw out any that are broken or feel empty, since they are not safe to eat.
- Steam them open: Put the clams in a large pot with a lid and set it over low heat. Shake the pot now and then until every shell has opened, which keeps the clams from cooking too hard.
- Save the liquid: Pour off the milky water at the bottom of the pot and keep it for the sauce. Lift out the clams and discard most of the shells, but keep a few clams in their shells for the garnish.
Make the sauce
- Soften the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a separate pan. Fry the garlic and chili without letting them brown, so the sauce stays sweet and not bitter.
- Cook the tomatoes: Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 6 to 7 minutes. If the sauce looks too thick, loosen it with a little of the reserved clam liquid.
- Add the clams: Stir in the clams and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just to heat them through. Taste before you add salt, because the clam liquid is already salty. Add a little pepper.
Cook the pasta and serve
- Boil the vermicelli: Cook the vermicelli for 7 to 8 minutes, until al dente, then drain it. Al dente pasta keeps its bite when it is tossed with the sauce.
- Toss and serve: Mix the pasta with the sauce and divide it among bowls. Top with the clams in their shells and sprinkle with the parsley.
Recipe Tips
- Pick the right clams: Small grey clams work best. Venus clams, which are completely white, are also very good.
- Skip canned clams if you can: Canned clams work in a pinch, but most of their flavor is lost in processing. The sauce will taste flatter.
- Season at the end: Taste the sauce before you add any salt. The reserved clam liquid can supply all the salt it needs.
- Check the shells: Discard any clam that stays closed after steaming. It was likely dead before cooking and is not safe to eat.
What To Serve With Vermicelli with Clam Sauce
Serve this pasta right away in warm bowls, while the sauce is still loose. A simple green salad and a crusty loaf to mop up the sauce are all it needs, and a dry white wine suits it well.
How To Store
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container for up to 1 day. Seafood pasta does not hold well, so it is best eaten fresh.
- Reheat: Warm it gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water until hot all the way through. Do not overheat, or the clams turn tough.
FAQs
Can I use canned clams instead of fresh?
Yes, but the flavor will be weaker, since most of it is lost in canning. Add them to the sauce at the end and use a little of their juice in place of the reserved clam liquid.
What can I use instead of vermicelli?
Spaghetti or linguine work well. Cook them for the time on the package, and pull them when they are still a little firm.
Is vermicelli with clam sauce gluten free or dairy free?
It is dairy free, because there is no butter or cheese in the list. It is not gluten free, since vermicelli is made from wheat. You can use a gluten-free pasta.
Why is my clam sauce too salty?
The clam liquid is naturally salty, and adding more salt on top is the usual cause. Taste the sauce first, and use only a small splash of the liquid if the tomatoes already taste seasoned.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 640 kcal
- Total Fat: 28g
- Total Carbohydrate: 68g
- Dietary Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 26g
Vermicelli with Clam Sauce
4
servings10
minutes25
minutes35
minutesVermicelli tossed in a light sauce of fresh clams, garlic, chili and chopped tomatoes. A fast seafood pasta for 4 that comes together in about 35 minutes.
Ingredients
1 pound fresh clams in their shells
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 small chili pepper, finely chopped
1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
13 ounces dried vermicelli
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Wash the clams: Wash the clams well under cold water. Throw out any that are broken or feel empty, since they are not safe to eat.
- Steam them open: Put the clams in a large pot with a lid and set it over low heat. Shake the pot now and then until every shell has opened, which keeps the clams from cooking too hard.
- Save the liquid: Pour off the milky water at the bottom of the pot and keep it for the sauce. Lift out the clams and discard most of the shells, but keep a few clams in their shells for the garnish.
- Soften the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a separate pan. Fry the garlic and chili without letting them brown, so the sauce stays sweet and not bitter.
- Cook the tomatoes: Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 6 to 7 minutes. If the sauce looks too thick, loosen it with a little of the reserved clam liquid.
- Add the clams: Stir in the clams and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just to heat them through. Taste before you add salt, because the clam liquid is already salty. Add a little pepper.
- Boil the vermicelli: Cook the vermicelli for 7 to 8 minutes, until al dente, then drain it. Al dente pasta keeps its bite when it is tossed with the sauce.
- Toss and serve: Mix the pasta with the sauce and divide it among bowls. Top with the clams in their shells and sprinkle with the parsley.
