Seafood Pasta Aglio e Olio (Print Version)

Italian pasta tossed with shrimp, clams, garlic, chili, parsley, and lemon for a flavorful finish.

# Ingredient List:

→ 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 - ½–1 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 and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish (optional)

11 - Additional chopped parsley
12 - Lemon wedges

# How-To Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente following package instructions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and chili flakes; sauté until garlic is golden and aromatic, about 1 minute, taking care not to burn.
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 pan occasionally, until clams open. Discard any that remain closed.
05 - Return shrimp to the skillet; add drained spaghetti, lemon zest, lemon juice, and most of the parsley. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water as necessary to create a smooth sauce.
06 - Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, garnished with additional parsley and lemon wedges if desired.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd think, turning weeknight dinner into something that tastes like you spent hours planning.
  • The pasta water does all the work, creating a sauce that clings to every strand without cream or heavy ingredients.
  • Shrimp and clams cook so quickly that you can taste the ocean without any fishiness stealing the show.
02 -
  • Clams release sand if you don't purge them; I learned this the hard way by crunching through an entire bowl—scrub them well and soak them in cold salted water for 20 minutes before cooking if you have time.
  • Don't let garlic burn; even a hint of blackness will turn bitter and there's no recovering from it, so watch that heat carefully and pull the pan off if it gets too aggressive.
  • Reserve your pasta water before draining—that starchy water is what transforms the oil into a proper sauce instead of just leaving pasta slick and separated.
03 -
  • Buy seafood the day you plan to cook it, not three days ahead—quality and texture matter more here than in almost any other dish.
  • Keep your heat at medium the whole time; high heat will turn everything tough and the garlic will burn before anything cooks through.
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