Published: · Modified: by Samantha Ferraro · This post may contain affiliate links · 24 Comments
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Steamed clams with white wine, garlic and butter is the ultimate seafood paradise! Perfectly steamed clams are cooked with white wine, a good amount of garlic, butter and loads of fresh herbs. And don't forget to have extra crusty bread ready to soak every drop of the irresistible broth! For another Seafood recipe with an Italian Spin, try my Halibut Piccata.
There's a short handful of meals I'll ask for on big celebratory dinner nights. Either Julia Child mussels Mariniere or a French bouillabaisse that is brimming with fresh seafood!
Leave me with a big bowl of steamed clams with white wine, garlic and butter, some crusty bread and a tall glass of chilled Pinot Grigio and I am one happy, possibly slurpy, with buttery clam broth all over me-gal!
Jump to:
- 📋 Ingredients
- 💦 How to Clean Clams Before Cooking
- ⏲️ How to Make Steamed Clams
- 📍 Steamed Clam Recipe Tips
- Recipe FAQs
- 🦀 More Clam Recipes
- Steamed Clams with White Wine and Garlic
📋 Ingredients
- Fresh Clams: Look for littleneck clams, Manilla clams or "steamers" which are a little larger than the other two varieties. Clams should always be kept cold on ice and cooked the same day as purchased.
- Unsalted Butter: Clams can be salty on their own and I prefer to use unsalted butter to control the salt flavor. You can always add a pinch of salt after cooking.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil is added with the butter for both flavor and so the butter doesn't burn too quickly.
- Shallot: Shallots have a fantastic sweet and flavor and a delicious addition to any seafood recipe. I like adding shallots to Thai coconut curry mussels.
- Garlic Cloves: Steamed clams and garlic are meant to be together! Look for garlic bulbs that have tight cloves, which means it's fresh.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Optional, but highly recommended. If you like a little spice, add a good pinch of red pepper flakes but if you prefer no heat, leave out and the steamed clams will still be absolutely delicious and flavorful!
- White Wine: Use a white wine that you enjoy drinking but if you do need a suggestion, add a crisp dry white wine to the clams, such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or Vinho Verde.
- Lemon: A good squeeze of fresh lemon juice gives the buttery clams a layer of acidity and brightness. Squeeze fresh lemon juice as soon as the clams open.
- Fresh Parsley: Finely chop a good bunch of Italian parsley leaves and add the fresh herbs as soon as the clams are done cooking.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
💦 How to Clean Clams Before Cooking
Now before we get into making steamed clams, let's talk about how to properly clean clams first. Honestly, it takes longer to clean clams then to cook them, but worth it so you don't bite into a hard piece of sand. Here is detailed guide on cleaning clams.
- Once you bring home the clams, place them on ice and leave in the fridge until you're ready to cook them later (usually on the same day).
- 30 minutes before you're ready to cook, place the clams in a large bowl of cold tap water with a good pinch of salt. This will help the clams spit out any sand that may be inside.
- Right when you're ready to cook, use a clam brush or something similar and scrub the outside of each clam. Then, you're ready to cook!
Once you master how to clean clams (again, easy, just a bit time consuming), you're ready to cook them in any which way. Like my linguini with clams or seafood and chorizo paella!
⏲️ How to Make Steamed Clams
Step 1. Begin by heating a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. Cook until the butter is almost fully melted. Add the chopped shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes, until shallots just change color.
Step 2. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring everything together.
Step 3. Pour in the white wine and let the wine reduce for 1-2 minutes.
Step 4. Add the clean clams and give everyone one good stir and cover skillet with a lid, leaving a small opening so alcohol can cook off. Cook clams until they all open, about 7-9 minutes.
Step 5. Add a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Step 6. Garnish with finely chopped fresh parsley and give the steamed clams a good stir.
📍 Steamed Clam Recipe Tips
- Clams are best enjoyed the same day they are purchased.
- Discard any clams with broken or cracked shells.
- Leave a small opening when placing a lid on the pot, so the alcohol can escape and liquid can reduce slightly.
- Shellfish can be salty as is and I tend to under salt. You can always add more salt, for personal preference.
Recipe FAQs
What is the best wine for cooking clams?
A good rule of thumb is to use a wine that you enjoy drinking. For these white wine clams, I like using a crisp white wine such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or Vinho Verde.
How long do you need to soak clams before cooking?
Before steaming clams, soak them in a large bowl of cold tap water with a pinch of salt, for at least 20 minutes. This will help the clams purge any sand.
Do you need to cover the clams with a lid when cooking?
Clams will give off a lot of water when cooked and I suggest covering the pot but leaving a small opening for steam to escape and if you're using wine, for the wine to reduce.
How do I know if my clams are alive?
Before cooking the clams, they should be closed. If you see any clams that are open, give them a gentle tap on the counter and they should slowly close. If the clams do not close at all, discard.
🦀 More Clam Recipes
- Seafood and Chorizo Paella
- Chilled Seafood Platter
- Baked Clams Casino
- Linguine and Clams
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Steamed Clams with White Wine and Garlic
Samantha Ferraro
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Steamed clams are cooked together with wine wine, garlic, a touch of butter and loads of fresh herbs. And have extra crusty bread ready to soak up the delicious broth.
4.85 from 96 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 275 kcal
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small-medium sized shallot chopped finely
- 2-3 large garlic cloves chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional for heat
- 1 ½ cups white wine
- 2 pounds clams littleneck, or manilla clams, cleaned and scrubbed
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Small bunch of fresh parsley leaves roughly chopped
Instructions
Begin by heating a large skillet or pot over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. Cook until the butter is almost fully melted.
Add the chopped shallots and saute for cook for 2-3 minutes, until shallots just change color but not browned. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring everything together.
Pour in the white wine and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute to reduce the wine slightly. Then add in the cleaned clams and give everyone one good stir.
Cover the skillet or pot with a lid, leaving a small opening so the alcohol can cook off. Cook clams until they all just open, about 7-9 minutes.
Once done, turn off the heat and add the fresh lemon juice and fresh herbs. Give everything one more good stir and serve with crusty bread.
Video
Notes
- Clams are best enjoyed the same day they are purchased.
- Discard any clams with broken or cracked shells.
- Leave a small opening when placing a lid on the the pot, so the alcohol can escape and liquid can reduce slightly.
- Shellfish can be salty as is and i tend to under salt. You can always add more salt, for personal preference.
Nutrition
Calories: 275kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 220mgPotassium: 110mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 605IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a comment and 5 star rating!
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Yokel says
The amount of ads, videos & spam on this site is overwhelming in the worst possible way. Yikes!
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Samantha Ferraro says
Ok, We will figure out how to change that.. I do not want that when I am searching for a recipe either. This is the kind of feedback that I take very personally, Thank you, Samantha.
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Tose says
Was a hit! Husband love it! ThksReply
Samantha Ferraro says
Tose, Fantastic. Happy new year, Samantha.
Reply
Char Cuaresma says
Delicious and easy to follow recipe! We had this with toasted crusty sliced baguette.Reply
Samantha Ferraro says
Char, That means you Nailed the recipe, Well done. You are preaching to the Choir. Crusty bread is a Must. Thank you, Samantha.
Reply
Sky says
WOW, This is the quickest shellfish dish and easily the tastiest. We all pitched in and cleaned the clams, we made it a family cooking party. The clams were on Sale so I grabbed 4 pounds and for the 4 of us it was just enough. Best appetizer we have ever done as a family. I didn't tell the kids that the recipe has wine in it.Reply
Mike says
Fantastic, Thank you Chef Samantha. This may be our Top recipe from chef Samantha. WIne, butter, Clams, what can go wrong with that beautiful combination.Reply
Samantha Ferraro says
Mike, you are so supportive. Thank you for all the wonderful comments and support. Samantha.
Reply
Joan DeGroat says
This is the best recipe for steamed clams I have ever had!! Thank u so much for this!!Reply
Luis Gutierrez says
It was exactly the taste I was looking for, but I have a couple comments: it is under seasoned. It definitely needs the addition of salt, even more if you are using unsalted butter. The other issue I found was that since you instruct to put on the lid as soon as you pour in the wine there is alcohol that finds no scape. The final dish still had alcohol in it. Maybe my lid closes too tight, i don’t know, but it would be a good idea to let a part of the wine to evaporate freely before covering it up, or uncover it half way through, your choice.
Aside from that, loved them!
Thanks!Reply
Samantha says
Hi Luis! Thanks for your comment. I usually under salt shellfish because I find it salty as is, but that can be personal preference too. And good tip about the lid, I will update the recipe to mention that the lid can be half on, allowing steam and alcohol to cook off and reduce.
Reply
Amanda says
What type of white wine works best?Reply
Samantha says
Hi Amanda! I love a Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay for steaming seafood! But really, any white wine that you enjoy 🙂
Reply
Aimee says
Ours were super winey.... not sure if I didn’t have the heat up enough or should have had lid off? We only had about a pound of clams tho and used the 1.5 cups...?Reply
Samantha says
Hi Aimee! I think it 3was winey because you used the same amount of wine, but for half the amount of clams. Next time if you are cutting the clam amount in half, cut the wine amount in half as well.
Reply
Joy says
My husband and I both love seafood, especially shellfish! Despite both of us being born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, neither of us have ever learned how to prepare it...except for Salmon and Halibut Fish & Chips.
Today, we picked up fresh Manila Clams from Anthony’s Seafood (now public 2x a week, thanks to COVID-19).
Thanks for sharing your clear, easy to follow recipe, including how to prepare the fresh clams!
They were delicious!!!Reply
Samantha says
Hi Joy! We live in the PNW now too and there is nothing like salmon here! We get our clams from Taylor Shellfish right outside of Bellingham, WA...so good!! Thank you for your lovely comment and I am so thrilled you had a delicious dinner!
Reply
Flavia says
The clams were divine. Accompanied the clams with fresh pasta.Reply
Samantha says
That sounds perfect! Thank you for sharing Flavia!
Reply
Medworldis.Com says
Who is your pan by that you cook the garlic wine and butter steamed clams in ? Great looking pan Nice size Not too big!Reply
Samantha says
The photos show a large white bowl, but I do use a medium sized pot when making clams.
Reply
Sarlene says
Absolutely delicious. I also added 6 colossal large shrimp, 2 8 Oz lobster tails and 2 fresh calimari cut into rings. Delicioso...served with crusty sourdough baguette and a white burgundy.Reply
Samantha says
Oh now that sounds fantastic!! Thank you!!
Reply
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