• 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.