Clams White Wine

These Steamed Clams White Wine are made with littleneck clams, white wine, thyme, garlic, butter, and lemons.

This might be one of my favorite summer dishes especially if you down it with a nice dry white wine. This is an exceptionally light meal and pairs well with a light, lemon pasta. We have been quarantined in Florida and I am totally embracing the seafood!

If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Clams Spaghetti with White Wine or my Mussels in White Wine.

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

• Littleneck clams
• Salted butter
• Garlic
• Thyme leaves
• White wine
• Lemons

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

1. In a deep saucepan and on medium heat, add the butter and wait it to melt. Add the garlic and the thyme leaves and cook until the garlic is fragrant, like 1-2 minutes. Pour in the white wine and turn to high heat. Bring to a boil and when it does, add the clams and juice of 1 lemon. Steam for 10-15 minutes, until the clams open. 
2. Turn the heat off. Toss the clams that do not open and taste the sauce and add more lemon juice into the clams if you wish. 
3. Garnish with more thyme.

Hint: Make sure to have the heat on high when steaming so the clams open up and the white wine slowly evaporates.

Substitutions

Clams: You can use manila or littleneck clams for this recipe. Manila clams are smaller than littleneck clams, but both are delicious.

Butter: I used salted stick butter although you can use unsalted butter and control the salt level yourself.

Garlic: I would recommend using fresh garlic but minced garlic from a jar works as well.

White Wine: I would recommend a cheap dry white wine - definitely not sweet wine. If you do not wish to use white wine, you can use vegetable broth.

Thyme: I love garnishing all my plates. The thyme also adds to the flavor of each clam. I chopped them up and added them at the end for a touch of color and flavor.

Do I need to clean clams?

The best way to clean the clams is to let them soak in fresh, cold water for 20 minutes to 3 hours. The clams will breathe the water and eject any salt or debris there might be inside. After soaking them, run them under cold water and with a brush, scrub the each shell to get any dirt left on them. 

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
• Kid friendly - add spaghetti or pasta into it.

Check out this Mussels Marinara and my Linguini Frutti di Mare.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

Toss out any clams that do not open up.

Clams White Wine

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Maxine Dubois
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

These Steamed Clams White Wine are made with littleneck clams, white wine, chicken broth, lemons and parsley. 

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 pounds of littleneck clams 
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup thyme leaves
• 1 ½ cups white wine
• 2 lemons
• Garnish with thyme

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Instructions

1. In a large saucepan and on medium heat, add the butter and wait it to melt. Add the garlic and the thyme leaves and cook until the garlic is fragrant, like 1-2 minutes. Pour in the white wine and turn to high heat. Bring to a boil and when it does, add the clams and juice of 1 lemon. Steam for 10-15 minutes, until the clams open. 
2. Turn the heat off. Toss the clams that do not open and squeeze another half of a lemon into the clams. (taste the sauce before adding more lemon if you wish) 
3. Garnish with more thyme.

• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Boiling
• Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 42.0
• Sugar: 0
• Sodium: 31.8 mg
• Fat: 0.6 g
• Saturated Fat: 0.0 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 1.5 g
• Fiber: 0.0 g
• Protein: 7.3 g
• Cholesterol: 19.0 mg

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.