Spaghetti alle Vongole, or as we call it Bongoré, is an Italian clam pasta dish that is very popular in Japan. You can easily recreate this delicious recipe at home with a few simple ingredients like manila clams, garlic, and white wine.
Spaghetti alle Vongole (ボンゴレスパゲッティ , ボンゴレビアンコ) is an Italian classic Clam Pasta dish. It’s a light yet flavorful pasta infused with garlic, briny clams, white wine, and chili flakes.
Clam Pasta In Japan
You may wonder why I’m sharing an Italian recipe as I mostly share Japanese recipes here on my blog. The reason is quite simple. Although this dish is an Italian classic, it’s also one of the well-known and most popular pasta dishes Japanese people enjoy at Italian or pasta restaurants (パスタ屋さん), along with Spaghetti Bolognaise (ボロネーゼ), Carbonala (カルボナーラ), and Aglio olio e peperoncino (ペペロンチーノ).
If you have visited Japan, you’ve seen firsthand how popular Italian cuisine is over there, especially pasta! Several Italian readers who had visited Japan told me that they feel Japan has some of the best Italian restaurants outside of Italy.
How to De-Grit Clams
Getting the sand out of the clams is one of the most important parts of this recipe. No one wants to eat gritty clams and ruin the meal, right?
My saltwater method is a very common technique in Japan. I thought it’s a universal method until someone told me Americans use cornmeal (Interesting! How do you de-grit clams in your country?). Whatever method you use, make sure to do this process right.
If you want to follow my method, you can find the tutorial here. It’s a slightly lengthy process, but it’s easy to follow and you will be pleasantly surprised how well your clams purges the sands with this method!
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Clam Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb manila clams
- ½ lb spaghetti
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
- 2 dried red chili pepper (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 sprig parsley
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
- As soon as you bring the 1 lb manila clams back from the market, you must clean and de-grit them of sand and dirt; you can follow my tutorial. Start this process 1 hour prior to cooking.
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Cook the Pasta
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add ½ lb spaghetti, stirring occasionally, to prevent it from sticking together. Cook until al dente. Drain the pasta into a colander.
To Cook the Clams
- Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. When it’s hot, add 2 cloves garlic (minced) and 2 dried red chili pepper (thinly sliced). Reduce the heat to medium low and sauté until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add the clams and ½ cup dry white wine and increase the heat to medium. Quickly cover and steam for 5 minutes or until all the clams have opened.
- Discard the clams that didn’t open. Finely chop 1 sprig parsley and add some of it to the pan (reserve some for garnish). Then, season with ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Transfer the clams to a plate.
- Taste the sauce and season with more pepper and up to ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, as needed. The clams are already salty, so you probably don‘t need to add too much salt.
To Make the Clam Pasta
- Add the pasta to the pan with the clams and toss until the pasta is coated with the sauce.
- Remove from the heat. Transfer the spaghetti to a serving plate and add the clams on top. Sprinkle with some chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Jun 5, 2013.
Would (thawed) frozen clams still work ok for this recipe?
Hi Vivian! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
Sure! You can use frozen clams too.
We hope you enjoy it. 🤗
Hi Nami,
Thank you so much for all the recipes that you have shared. They are awesome. I’m grateful that you have shared information on how to de-grit the clams too because I have no prior knowledge on how to do this. The instructions are very clear and detailed. I have a question thou because of the lack of knowledge on the preparation of clams. Are the clams still safe to be eaten after freezing them without the de-grit process?
Hi Caitlin,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed this dish.
As for the clam preparation, We don’t recommend consuming the clams that had not done the de-grit process. First, you de-grit the clams, then freezing is the best.
I hope this is helpful.☺️
Hi Nami,
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. We will take note of that in the future. Love your recipes loads.
My pleasure!
Hi Nami! I have a question about how pasta is served in Japan, is it typically served with any sides, like for example, a green salad? Thanks for your help!
Hi Ashely! Yes, typically soup or salad + bread.
Hi Nami,
This clam pasta looks so delicious ! Thanks for sharing. I don’t drink wine and have no knowledge on it. Could you please recommend anything that’s reasonable price so I can try making this dish ? (Brand and year). Thanks so much !
Hi Bessie! Thank you for your kind words! If you can get these small bottles for cooking. 🙂
https://www.target.com/p/sutter-home-chardonnay-white-wine-4pk-187ml-bottles/-/A-13461957?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Grocery%2BShopping_Local&adgroup=SC_Grocery&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=1013581&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&gclid=CjwKCAiA7t3yBRADEiwA4GFlI7FQO9Y2UjdSfgC3HQX1XeLTvR5x_q120pU7RZ7NMf4DhksE62C0fxoCKEUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Thanks so much for your suggestion !!
[…] 13. Clam Pasta […]
Thanks for such an easy but yummy recipe. I made it twice n my kids love it !
Hi Wendy! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! I’m so happy to hear your kids enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
Thanks for the great recipe! I substituted 1 tbsp of grass fed butter for 1 tbsp of the olive oil and it came out absolutely perfect. My daughter couldn’t get enough.
Cheers–Pete
Hi Pete! Thank you for trying this recipe! I sometimes drop butter at the end, it makes it a little more creamy and ohhh so delicious! 🙂 Thank you for writing your feedback and glad to hear your daughter enjoyed it. You made my day! Happy Father’s Day to you!