Seafood Pasta Aglio e Olio (Print Version)

Al dente spaghetti combined with shrimp, clams, garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs for a vibrant meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 9 oz (255 g) large shrimp, peeled and deveined
02 - 1 lb (500 g) fresh clams, scrubbed and rinsed

→ Pasta

03 - 14 oz (400 g) spaghetti

→ Aromatics & Flavorings

04 - 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
05 - 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
06 - 1/2–1 tsp red chili flakes, adjust to taste
07 - 1/2 cup dry white wine
08 - 1 lemon, zested and juiced
09 - 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish (optional)

11 - Additional chopped parsley
12 - Lemon wedges

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and chili flakes; sauté until garlic turns golden and fragrant, about 1 minute, taking care not to burn it.
03 - Add shrimp to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes until just pink. Transfer shrimp to a plate.
04 - Add clams and white wine to the skillet. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until clams open. Discard any unopened clams.
05 - Return shrimp to the skillet. Add drained spaghetti, lemon zest, lemon juice, and most of the parsley. Toss well, incorporating reserved pasta water as needed to form a smooth sauce.
06 - Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately garnished with additional parsley and lemon wedges if desired.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It tastes like a restaurant dish but comes together in barely half an hour, which means you can impress people on a weeknight without losing your mind.
  • The garlic oil is pure magic—it coats everything so silkily that you'll find yourself scraping the pan and soaking bread in it long after dinner ends.
  • Shrimp and clams are surprisingly forgiving once you know the trick of not overthinking them, and they feel fancy enough to make any meal feel special.
02 -
  • Do not walk away from the garlic once it hits the oil; I learned this by creating a kitchen that smelled like a burnt-offering to the Italian cooking gods, and it took days to recover.
  • The clams release liquid as they cook, which actually becomes part of your sauce—this is not a problem, this is the whole point, so embrace it and use it.
  • Timing is everything in this dish, and by everything I mean don't make this when you're distracted or tired; it demands your presence for 20 minutes and rewards your attention with restaurant-quality food.
03 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before draining, and keep it nearby; you'll almost certainly need it, and adding it a splash at a time is how you create a sauce that actually coats the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom of the pan.
  • Buy your seafood the day you plan to cook it, and if that's not possible, keep it on ice in the coldest part of your fridge; fresh seafood makes an enormous difference in how this dish tastes.
  • Don't listen to anyone who tells you to use butter or cream in aglio e olio—the tradition exists for a reason, and the simplicity is what makes it sing.
Go Back