Italian Seafood Pasta with Clams and Mussels
There’s something so comforting about Italian-style seafood pasta: briny shellfish, tender pasta, and a light sauce that clings instead of cloys. This version is designed for home cooks—quick, flavorful, and built around one key step: cook the clams and mussels until their shells open, then use the cooking broth to help coat the pasta.
Original recipe: Serves 4.
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How much are you cooking?
4 portions · 1 full batch · 2 portions now · 2 for later
Keep the original-size recipe and equipment. Prepare additional complete batches if you need more; reserve any extra portions.
For the original batch: Reserve portions before serving. Keep any dressing, crisp bread, garnish and uncooked salad separate. For later meals, reheat only the cooked portion you need and prepare fresh finishing ingredients at serving time.
Choose the total you want to cook, including any portions reserved for another meal. Repeating this dish on your calendar uses that same batch.
Ingredients
- Pasta: 12 oz (340 g) linguine or spaghetti
- Clams (for steaming): 1 1/2 lb (680 g) scrubbed littleneck or small clams
- Mussels (for steaming): 1 1/2 lb (680 g) mussels, scrubbed
- Olive oil: 3 tbsp
- Garlic: 4 cloves, thinly sliced
- Red pepper flakes: 1/4 to 1/2 tsp (optional)
- Tomato paste: 1 tbsp (optional for a hint of sweetness)
- Broth or water: 1 cup (240 ml) low-sodium seafood broth or water
- Lemon: zest of 1/2 lemon + 2 tbsp juice
- Butter (optional, for richness): 2 tbsp
- Parsley: 1/3 cup chopped (plus extra for serving)
- Salt and black pepper: to taste
Method
Recipe by Heather Schiefelbein.
- Prep the clams and mussels. Keep shellfish cold until cooking. Rinse clams under cool running water and scrub mussels well. Discard any mussels that are already open and won’t close when tapped (this is a common home-safety check). Tip: Keep each type in a bowl—don’t let their juices contaminate your counters.
- Start the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente (tender but still firm to the bite). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Sauté the aromatics. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet or wide pot over medium heat. Add garlic (and red pepper flakes, if using) and cook 30–60 seconds, just until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste (if using) and cook 30 seconds to mellow the flavor.
- Steam the clams first. Add broth (or water) to the pan. Add clams, cover, and simmer until the shells open, 6–9 minutes. Shake the pan once or twice so clams heat evenly.
- Add mussels and finish steaming. Add mussels, recover, and cook until mussels open and clams are ready, 4–7 minutes more. You’re aiming for shellfish that are just cooked —not dry and rubbery.
- Discard unopened shells. Turn off the heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove opened shells to a bowl. Discard any clams or mussels that do not open after cooking. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup (to catch grit), then return 1/2 to 3/4 cup of that liquid to the skillet.
- Build the sauce and toss. Add reserved pasta water a splash at a time to the skillet (you want a light, glossy sauce). Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice, plus butter if using. Add drained pasta and toss to coat. If needed, add a bit more pasta water until the sauce clings.
- Warm through the shellfish. Add opened clams and mussels to the pasta and toss gently for 30–60 seconds—just enough to heat them through.
- Finish and serve. Taste and season with black pepper and, if needed, a small pinch of salt. Stir in chopped parsley and serve immediately with extra lemon wedges.
Serving, later meals and useful notes
Reserve portions before serving. Keep any dressing, crisp bread, garnish and uncooked salad separate. For later meals, reheat only the cooked portion you need and prepare fresh finishing ingredients at serving time.
Refrigerate perishable leftovers promptly in shallow covered containers, within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F). Keep at 40°F or colder and use within 3–4 days, or any shorter period stated for this dish. Reheat cooked leftovers to 165°F; bring soups and sauces to a boil. Reheating does not restart the storage time.
Ingredient swap: No mussels? Use only clams (increase to 2 lb/900 g) and keep the same method. Flavor variation: Add a splash of clam juice or extra lemon juice at the end instead of using tomato paste, if you prefer a brighter, purely briny broth. Pan size matters: Use a wide pot so shellfish steam evenly without crowding.
Put the meal together.
Choose the companions that help this meal. Portions and ingredients stay connected in your plan.
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These are published Cyrus Ramsey recipes; editorial checks are not a physical kitchen test.