Seafood Pasta Aglio Olio (Print Version)

Italian seafood pasta with shrimp, clams, garlic oil, parsley, and a hint of chili for a flavorful meal.

# 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 - 1/2 to 1 tsp red chili flakes, 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, to taste
11 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

12 - Additional chopped parsley (optional)
13 - Lemon wedges (optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of 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 fragrant, about 1 minute, avoiding burning.
03 - Add shrimp to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes until just turning pink. Remove 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 parsley. Toss thoroughly, adding reserved pasta water as needed to create a silky sauce.
06 - Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with extra parsley and lemon wedges if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The whole thing comes together in under 35 minutes, which means weeknight elegance without the stress.
  • Every ingredient does something important—there's no filler, just pure seafood-forward flavor that feels indulgent but tastes light.
  • Those briny clams and sweet shrimp together create a sauce that's silky without cream, letting the olive oil and garlic shine.
02 -
  • The moment garlic hits the oil is a race against time—it goes from golden to burnt in seconds, and burnt garlic turns bitter and ruins everything, so stay present and keep your heat at medium.
  • Don't crowd the shrimp in the pan, and don't move them around; they need a minute of stillness to develop that slight color and sweetness.
  • The pasta water is magic here—that starch is what transforms separate ingredients into a cohesive dish, so don't skip it even though it seems humble.
03 -
  • Don't cook the garlic and chili flakes at high heat no matter how impatient you are—medium heat and your attention span are what create that haunting golden color and flavor.
  • Buy your clams and shrimp as close to cooking time as possible, and taste them as you go to catch when they're done instead of relying on time alone, because sizes vary wildly and overcooked seafood is the only real mistake in this dish.
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