Seafood Pasta Aglio Olio (Printable)

Italian pasta with shrimp, clams, garlic, chili, lemon, and parsley in olive oil sauce.

# 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 (optional)

12 - Additional chopped parsley
13 - Lemon wedges

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and chili flakes; cook until garlic turns golden and fragrant, about 1 minute, taking care not to burn it.
03 - Add shrimp to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes until just 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 pasta, lemon zest, lemon juice, and most of the parsley. Toss thoroughly, adding reserved pasta water as necessary to create a smooth sauce.
06 - Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately, garnished with additional parsley and lemon wedges if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's ready in under 40 minutes, which means you can serve restaurant-quality seafood pasta on a Tuesday night without stress.
  • The garlic-oil sauce clings to every strand of spaghetti while the seafood adds briny sweetness that feels like you've cooked something special.
  • Nothing gets hidden behind cream or heavy ingredients—every flavor shines through, and you taste exactly what you chose to put in.
02 -
  • Don't let that garlic burn, because burnt garlic tastes bitter and ruins the whole dish—once it's golden, it's done, and you can always add more if you're not happy.
  • The clams need to be alive when they go into the pan, which means they'll close when you tap them; cooking dead clams invites trouble and won't taste good.
  • The pasta water is your secret weapon—its starch creates a silky sauce that holds the oil and seafood together instead of sliding to the bottom of the bowl.
03 -
  • Add a pinch of red chili flakes to the oil even if you don't like spice; it adds depth that you taste as warmth rather than heat, and it's almost impossible to detect as a distinct flavor.
  • Keep the heat at medium or medium-high throughout—rushing with high heat burns the garlic and makes the clams open unevenly, leaving you with some that haven't cooked long enough.
Go Back