Clams in Red Sauce couldn’t be easier or more delicious! Fresh clams are steamed in a garlicky tomato sauce and finished with fresh basil and parsley. The sauce is perfect for dunking, so be sure to serve with plenty of crusty bread!
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Editor’s Note: Originally published on July 15, 2018. Updated with expanded information, improved recipe, and process photos.
Clams in red sauce is an iconic Italian-American dish that’s great all year round, but especially good on Christmas Eve as part of the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
The red sauce is easy to make, and since the clams are cooked directly in the sauce, it’s super easy to make.
It’s great as a main course with some pasta (like a red Linguine alle Vongole), but also as an appetizer alongside other seafood favorites, such as mussels in white wine sauce, clams oreganata, mussels marinara, and fried calamari.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Clams. Littleneck clams are the preferred clam for this recipe but you can use larger clams, or smaller ones, such as cockles. Be sure to scrub and clean the clams to remove any sand or grit before cooking them in the sauce.
- White wine. Use a dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, or omit if you cannot have wine.
- Herbs. Finishing the clams in red sauce with some fresh basil and parsley adds brightness to the dish and makes it even better!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make it
- Slice 10 cloves of garlic, mince 3 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, chop 10 large basil leaves, and blender-pulse 1 28-ounce can of plum tomatoes. Heat a large pan or pot to medium with 5 tablespoons of olive oil and add the garlic. Saute the garlic for 2-3 minutes or until golden, then add 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine and turn the heat up to high.
- Once the wine is boiling, add the plum tomatoes and bring to a lively simmer. Add 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano and turn the heat down a touch so the sauce simmers gently.
- Add the clams to the pan and cover. After 7-10 minutes the clams will open.
- After 10 minutes, discard any unopened clams (they’re most likely dead), and remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the basil and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!
Top tips
- The clams. Be sure to clean and scrub your clams to remove any grit or dirt. Most commercial clams are already purged, however, you can ask your fishmonger if that’s the case. If they have not been purged, you may need to do so yourself.
- Cooking the clams. I prefer to cook the clams directly in the tomato sauce. This yields maximum flavor and also makes the process easier. Alternatively, you can opt to steam the clams separately in some water and/or white wine and then toss in the sauce. Cooking the clams in the sauce will yield a thinner brick-red, almost maroon-colored sauce (see picture above) while steaming them separately and tossing the sauce will yield a more vibrant and thicker red sauce (see picture directly below).
- Serving. Clams in red sauce make an excellent appetizer, but to serve as a full meal, serve with 1/2 pound of pasta. Simply add some pasta water to the sauce and toss to coat.
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Clams in Garlicky Red Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 dozen Littleneck clams scrubbed and cleaned
- 5 tablespoons (75ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 10 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine
- 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes blender pulsed
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons minced Italian flat-leaf parsley
- 10 large basil leaves chopped
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Instructions
- Heat a large pan or pot to medium with the olive oil and garlic. Saute the garlic until golden (about 2-3 minutes) then add the red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the white wine and turn the heat to high. Once boiling add the plum tomatoes and bring to a lively simmer. Add the oregano and turn the heat down a touch so that the sauce is gently simmering.
- Add the clams to the pot and cover. The clams should open within 7-10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes discard any unopened clams since they are most likley dead. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the basil and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a loaf of crusty bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- The clams can be served with about a 1/2 pound of pasta and a touch of pasta water. If you would like more pasta, just increase the sauce ingredients.
- Any clams unopened after about 10 minutes of cooking are most likely dead and should be discarded.
- Leftovers can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days but the clams are best eaten right away.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on July 15, 2018. It was completely updated on December 4, 2024.
outstanding flavors. I made a Chipino dish with my linguini
So happy you enjoyed!
Great! I made this recipe exactly as written. Husband and I both loved it. We served with arugula/spinach salad and grilled baguette slices with olive oil and garlic. This meal cost us about $30, and would easily cost $80 here in Boulder, CO restaurants. We have plenty of broth left, so may serve with pasta.
So happy you and your husband enjoyed, Barbara!
This would also make a great base for cioppino – I live just north of San Francisco so the shellfish is calling my name! With a side of crusty SF sourdough bread . . . delizioso!
Excellent Zuppa di Vongole recipe, perfectly spiced. The broth was to die for and I just happened to have some sourdough country bread handy. Definitely recommend purging the clams if you’re going to cook them directly in the sauce.
So happy you enjoyed, Marco!
His food is delicious and his recipes are so easy to follow
Is 3 pounds of clams correct or should it read 3 dozen? Thank you
It should be 3 dozen! Sorry, and thank you! We’ve corrected the recipe.
Hi Jim, what to make this for Christmas Eve. How far ag
Head can I make and can I keep it warm in the oven?
Hi Christine, this dish is best prepared fresh because the clams may turn out tough, but if you are going to make them ahead, pull the clams out of the sauce, keep the sauce warm in the oven, then right before you serve add the clams back in to warm through.
I am going to try this – unfortunately I cannot get fresh Littleneck Clams (my fav) here in Alabama – I do have frozen clams – will that work?
Hi Patty, thanks for your comment. I haven’t tested this with frozen clams but I do often use canned clams which are pretty good.
Great dish. ❤️❤️
Thanks, Diane! So happy you liked it.
Excellent easy delicious recipe.
Hi Dave. Glad you enjoyed it!
I love your videos and recipes…. Every single dish you make is presented with all ingredients listed and easy to follow since we are basically cooking right along side you! So happy I subscribed! Keep those recipes coming!!
We’re so happy to hear that, Kathy!
Easy nice
How many clams per person?
For an appetizer, I would say 4 or 5. For an entree at least 12 with a loaf of bread to mop up the sauce. Enjoy!
Great page, thanks for all you do to make cooking what it should be!
Thanks very much!
Seems easy to cook.. will try it now.. thanks for this recipes..
Hello Greta. Hope you enjoy it!