Seafood Pasta Aglio e Olio (Printable View)

A flavorful Italian pasta combining shrimp, clams, garlic, chili flakes, and fresh parsley in olive oil.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 9 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined
02 - 1 lb fresh clams, scrubbed and rinsed

→ Pasta

03 - 14 oz spaghetti

→ Aromatics & Flavorings

04 - 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
05 - 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
06 - ½ to 1 tsp red chili flakes, to taste
07 - ½ cup dry white wine
08 - 1 lemon, zested and juiced
09 - ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
10 - Salt, to taste
11 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish (optional)

12 - Additional chopped parsley
13 - Lemon wedges

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and chili flakes; sauté until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Avoid burning garlic.
03 - Add shrimp to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes until just pink. Remove shrimp and set aside.
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 pasta, lemon zest, lemon juice, and most of the parsley. Toss thoroughly, incorporating reserved pasta water as needed to create a silky sauce.
06 - Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately garnished with additional parsley and lemon wedges if desired.

# Best Practices:

01 -
  • It feels fancy enough to impress guests but honest enough that you won't stress in the kitchen.
  • The whole thing comes together in less than 40 minutes, yet tastes like you've been cooking all day.
  • Every bite delivers that perfect balance of briny seafood, silky pasta, and the gentle heat of chili that makes you want another forkful.
02 -
  • The moment your clams open is the moment they're done—cook them a minute longer and they transform from tender morsels into chewy disappointments.
  • That reserved pasta water is liquid gold; starchy pasta water emulsifies with the oil and creates a sauce that clings to every strand in a way cream never could.
  • Don't add the pasta to the pan until everything else is ready, because the residual heat will keep cooking it while you're tossing and combining.
03 -
  • Keep a bit of the pasta water in a mug right beside your stove so you can add it gradually without overwatering your dish—this is how restaurants achieve that glossy, clingy sauce.
  • Toast your chili flakes in the oil for 10 seconds before adding garlic to deepen their flavour and distribute the heat more evenly throughout the dish.
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