Clam Linguine in White Wine Garlic Sauce

Clam Linguine with White Wine Garlic Sauce or linguine alle vongole is one of my favorite ways to make the most of local ingredients. We made this yummy pasta on our staycation in the Sunshine Coast with fresh local clams, and it was so incredibly simple! The combination of clams, tender linguine, aromatic white wine garlic sauce makes this seafood pasta super light but full of seafood umami. It’s the kind of effortless dinner that’s great for vacation or date night!

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Cooking Dinner for Birthday Staycation on the Sunshine Coast

To celebrate my mom’s birthday this year, we’re pampering her with a summer weekend cabin staycation on the beaches of the Sunshine Coast in Sechelt. For dinner, we’re staying in and cooking!  I know not everyone wants to cook on vacation. But for my family and I, there’s something so special about making a home-cooked meal.

Tonight is all about keeping things fresh, simple, and celebrating local ingredients. Since we’ve got so many fresh ingredients like clams, herbs, peaches, and tomatoes, we decided to make a light clam pasta with white wine sauce with a fresh peach burrata salad!

Clam Pasta Ingredients

Fresh Clams

We got our fresh clams for today from the local Sechelt grocery store. Small, sweet clams such as littlenecks or Manila clams are ideal for this dish because they’re tender and quick to cook. To prepare them for cooking, scrub the shells under cold running water. Then soak the clams in salted water for 20–30 minutes to help purge any sand.

To make sure you don’t eat any bad clams, discard any with cracked shells or ones that stay open when tapped. Once cooked, any cooked clams that stays closed should also be thrown away.

White Wine Herb Sauce

This herby white wine sauce is one of those sauces that packs lots of flavor without a ton of ingredients. The white wine helps bring out the natural seafood brininess and richness from butter. All the alcohol content release while cooking, leaving only a refreshing tartness. It’s a sauce that works well with any seafood, not just clams!

When the wine is cooked down with local garlic, shallots, and fresh herbs sautéed in butter, the flavors are pulled into the sauce. All these aromatic ingredients release their flavors quickly, so the sauce comes together in the time it takes to cook the clams.

Best Pasta To Go With CLams

Linguine is the traditional pasta for clam pasta in white wine sauce. It’s slightly flattened shape helps it hold onto the briny, garlicky sauce. Cooking the pasta directly in the pan with the white wine and clam juices lets it soak up extra flavor and creates that silky emulsion that clings to every strand.

If you don’t have linguine, spaghetti or fettucine will also work, though they’ll give a slightly different texture and sauce coverage.

How To Make White Wine Clam Linguine

1. Cook the 16 oz linguine in a large pot of salted boiling water according to the package instructions.
2. Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the 2 shallots, 3-4 cloves garlic, half the 1 bundle of fresh parsley, 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes, and 1 tbsp butter. Sauté for 2–3 minutes, until fragrant and the butter has melted.
3. Add the 2 lb clams to the pan, then pour in the 1/2 cup white wine to deglaze.
4. Cook until all the clam shells have opened, then remove the clams from the pan and set aside.
5. Drain the linguine and add it to the pan. Stir in the remaining parsley.
6. Toss the pasta to coat in the sauce, then return the clams to the pan and mix gently before serving.

Enjoy Clam Linguine with These Delicious Side Dishes