Last Updated on February 25, 2021 by Stephanie

Linguine and clams in a delicious garlic white wine sauce and topped with buttery citrus breadcrumbs. This linguine and clams recipe is easy to make, with minimal ingredients and maximum flavor!

Cleaning clams

1. I use littleneck clams this recipe, they are small, tender, and steam well. When buying clams, do a simple ‘tap’ test. Gently tap them together, they should full close their shells, if they don’t they could be dead or dying and you should discard. Also discard any that are broken open.
2. Soak for 30 minutes and as they drink up the fresh water, they ‘spit’ the sand out. Place the clams in a colander and then place that in a bigger bowl filled with cold water. The colander allows the sand to fall to the bottom of the bowl, so the clams don’t drink it back up.
3. Since clams live on the ocean floor, makes sense that they have a bunch of sand inside. You don’t want to ruin a dish by slurping up clams with a side of sand. See above how much sand came out.
4. Once you have soaked the clams, dump the sand water and scrub each clam to remove any sand or grit from the shell. Now they are ready to be cooked.

Garlic

For this recipe I use minced garlic and thinly sliced garlic. The quickest/easiest way to thinly slice garlic is with a mandoline. Always use the guard or wear a cut resistant glove when using a mandoline.

Breadcrumbs

1. Cut up ciabatta or sourdough into cubes and place in a food processor
2. Pulse until breadcrumb consistency is achieved
3. In the skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter and once foaming, add the breadcrumbs, minced garlic
4. Toast about 5 minutes till golden brown. Add lemon zest, mix, and remove from skillet

Clam base

1. Wipe your dutch oven out to remove leftover breadcrumbs. Add oil, anchovies, garlic, shallot, and red pepper flakes.
2. The anchovies will disintegrate into the oil and give the base an extra depth of flavor, so don’t skip!
3. After sautéing the aromatics, add in the white wine. Allow it to reduce by half.
4. Once the wine has reduced, add in lemon juice, the clams and cover to steam.

Clam steaming tips

• Steam the clams for 5-7 minutes, once they pop open, remove and place them in a bowl with tented foil.
• You don’t want to overcook clams, because they become tough and rubbery.
• After the 5-7 minutes, if the clams haven’t open give the pan a shake or gently tap on the clams, sometimes they need some movement to pop open.
• Some clams will not open as fully as others and those are still ok to eat, use a knife to open them when eating.
• If a clam has a bad smell, that is a sign it needs to be tossed.
• If the clam doesn’t open after a few more minutes of steaming, toss it.

Linguine

Cook linguine to al dente, according to package instruction. Important: before draining, make sure to reserve a cup of pasta water. Once all your clams are opened and set aside, add in: butter and parsley. Mix together till the butter is melted, then add in the linguine.

Using tongs, carefully toss the linguine in the clam sauce to coat. Use the pasta water and add a few splashes at a time till the sauce is silky. Nestle the clams back into the pasta and top with the breadcrumbs, fresh parsley, and additional lemon zest.

Serve with lemon wedges and a bowl to discard shells into. This dish is best enjoyed fresh and right away. Clams cool quickly.

Storing

If you need to store leftovers, do so in the refrigerator and carefully reheat in the microwave. Do not freeze, will alter taste and consistency of clam.

Looking for other seafood recipes?

• Clams and Chorizo
• Seafood Paella
• Spicy Shrimp Tacos
• Baked Coconut Shrimp

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