Chef John's Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce

I made this two days ago and we almost came to blows over who got to lick the serving bowl. By popular demand, I am making it again tonight. I did not have a jar of pre-made marinara so I substituted a 14 oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and a 14 oz can of tomato sauce, and added 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning and 1 tsp. of salt. I'll make it that way again tonight. I'm going to add 1/2 c. of Kalamata olives too because we love them and I think they will go well. I can't wait to eat this again!!!

The written instructions are incorrect. The wine and juice from clams should be poured in and reduced before the tomato sauce and water.

This dish was heavenly! Easy to make. I put my face in it! Be careful with the pepper flakes. It all depends on the sauce you use. If it already has a bite to it reduce the pepper flakes. I can hardly wait until tomorrow so I can eat the left overs.

I made this yesterday for me and my husband. He absolutely love it! There are things that I would do differently. First I would definitely add more clams about 3 cans more. I also would sauté all of the ingredients in the white wine before adding the tomato sauce to infuse the flavors and unless you like your pasta with barely any sauce. I would add the spaghetti noodles to the sauce as you go. I feel a pound of noodles are too much as my noodles absorbed all of the sauce. So the next day I made another batch of sauce this time adding a teaspoon more of the anchovy sauce and more clams! Thanks for this recipe!

As usual, Chef John does not disappoint. Easy and delicious! Didn’t change a thing.

This is too quick and too easy to taste this good! The sauce was beautiful and the flavors were amazing. My husband thought I slaved over the stove for hours. I made it the first time exactly like the recipe stated, and the second time I took some reviewer suggestions and added 4 cans of chopped (instead of the diced) mussels. I think it added to the presentation. The second time I couldn’t find anchovy paste so I used a couple of anchovies and mashed into the sauce. I didn’t notice a taste difference between the paste and mashed. The next time I will throw in some zucchini. This recipe is going into our rotation.

Great and fast meal, IF you like clams. The only thing I did differently was to add 4 cans of CHOPPED clams (they are larger than the minced), and drained 2 of the cans.

This recipe is easy and quick to make. It has a lot of flavor as well. I would not change a thing. My husband loved it and I will make it again for sure.

Great recipe! I really enjoyed the way this quickly comes together to put a terrific meal on the table! Make sure you use a sauce you enjoy, I used Newman's Marinara and the meal is not complete without Italian bread! Thank you Chef John!

I made this last night and it was excellent! I couldn't find anchovy paste anywhere in my grocery store so I just bought a couple cans of anchovies and mashed them up. I also used four cans of clams based on other peoples comments. Those were the only changes that I made. Will definitely make this again!!

Easy and excellent dish! My kids and I loved it! Thank you Chef John!

Good and easy, my favorite combination.

I didn't have anchovy paste on hand and chopped fresh quahogs (topnecks) and I doubled the amount of clams. I did add some tomato paste to thicken up the sauce. Very good dinner with a nice glass of red wine.

I made it just as the recipe stated, and we all loved it. I was unsure about adding in the capers, but it was flavorful. We all had seconds on the pasta. The only thing I did different is cooking the sauce longer to boil out some of the extra liquid. Delicious!

We made it exactly as written and could not have been more pleased. It was absolutely fabulous and will be part of our pasta rotation in the future. We are in Germany and the clams were whole and in a glass jar, not a can, and their appearance was more watery than the white "juice" that comes from a can. But we went ahead with the recipe, diced the mussels, and were rewarded with a wonderful meal.

I am not a seafood eater of any kind, except for tuna casserole during lent, but my family is. This was quick and easy and I loved it, so did my family! Like Chef John says, it is very flavorful. I followed the recipe exactly. I will make this again for sure.

Yum!! Made it just as written but without the extra water. Was fantastic! I'm not a huge tomato sauce fan but this one got me! Since I didn't watch the video, I was unsure of what to do with the garlic so I just chopped it. Thank you Chef John!

Easy recipe. I did not have white wine so I used a red instead. Also omitted the anchovy paste. It was a hit with my husband! Great alternative to regular spaghetti sauce with ground hamburger.

I made no changes and cooked as noted in recipe and it was delicious. Just what I was hoping for and very easy to make. Definitely a keeper.

Awesome flavors and easy to make!

Delicious

Absolutely delicious. Great recipe! I followed it to tee except I use four cans of clams and used the juice of the extra two cans for something else and I used a whole head of coarsely chopped garlic; I love little chunks of garlic in anything. I will make this again and again! Thanks Chef John!

This recipe takes longer to reduced to a thicken sauce -- -reduce the wine and clam juice first about 15 min and add rest -- let simmer another 20 min - it will become thicken sauce - I did add the noodles to sauce, instead on top and I liked that -- used about 1/2 t. red pepper flakes -- my bottled sauce was spicy red pepper -- added more basil and Italian seasoning - -will be making this again .

I did not make any changes since this was the first time making it. It was a hit with my family and we will have this as a keeper in our everyday recipe file.

I mostly followed this recipe except I added one more can of clam drained and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes. The recipe was easy to make and didn't take a lot of time. Everyone in my family loved it, and it was a great change from using just the marinara sauce. I will definitely be making this again.

We have always been stuck on white clam sauce but we tried this one instead tonight. It was a good call, we loved, loved the flavor. I had to add 2 jars of Iron Chef pasta sauce because 1 lbs of spaghetti noodles soaked up every bit of sauce. We love clams so I believe we had over 30 oz of whole clams in the sauce. We will easily get 3 meals out of this Chef John recipe. Next time just 8 oz of noodles but the same amount of clams and play the sauce by ear.

What an amazing dish with incredible flavor! It’s has some bite from the red pepper flakes but adding some cheese helps to mellow out the spice a bit. Here are my recommendations: 1) if you or those eating this dish don’t like spicy foods, I would recommend reducing the red pepper flakes down to 1/2 teaspoon. 2) This dish on its own has more of a runny sauce. I happen to like a thicker sauce so I added 1.5 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with a couple of tablespoons of water.

followed recipe, except I added live clams also. the family loved it

It was really good. can't say anything else. I used normal tomato sauce which was a bit thin, so added a couple spoonfuls of paste to thicken it up. I'm a non-drinker, so I let the alcohol boil out. Far exceeded my expectations.

Used leftover fresh clams from a prior steaming, and 32 oz red sauce. Great spice level. A real comfort pasta. Wine a must!

Very good, I substituted tomato paste for tomato sauce, this made it thicker. I did not have any wine so substituted with pomegranate juice. I would make this again

can't go wrong with this one. simple and delicious

I didn't reduce it enough so it was a little runny. Also, make sure you cook enough pasta!

This was very good. I did make some changes due to necessity and what I had on hand. I used red wine instead of white. I had been gifted several dozen clams dug by a friend in a local saltpond. I used the fresh clams instead of canned chopped clams and juice. I guessed on the amount and how to do it. After cooking down the sauce somewhat, I placed 2 dozen clams into the sauce and covered them until they opened, while the noodles were cooking. That was not enough clams. Next time, I think I would use at least 3 dozen and cook them separately so I can chop them up. I would then place the chopped clams and the steaming water into the sauce. I look forward to trying this again, with either fresh or canned clams and the white wine.

This was awesome. I would definitely make it again, but as others have said I would have doubled the amount of clams in the sauce. His photos show a lot of clams so I'm guessing he used larger cans than the puny ones I could find. I would also double the chili flakes as I like spicy.

I substituted clam juice for half the wine and increased the recipe by 50% to make 1.5 Lbs of pasta. Sauce was a bit runny, but feedback was positive. I might add more clams next time, I used 3 cans this time. Next time I'm skipping the wine to thicken up the sauce too. I will make this again.

I liked it very much, my suggestion is buy 4 cans of clams instead of 2. But follow the recipe as written. With that much pasta the clams are hard to find. I always enjoy Chef Johns videos.

Wow this is really good and simple to put together. I wasn’t too sure about anchovy paste. Never even heard of the stuff, but I’m glad I bought some to try this recipe. Definitely will make again!

Easy to make. That teaspoon of red pepper flakes gave it a nice kick and burst of flavor.

Simple and super delicious dish. We loved this dish! I used pre-crushed garlic, swapped Worcestershire sauce for anchovy and skipped the basil or parsley (Mainly because I didn't feel like making a trip to the grocery store). I also left off the cheese (husband can't do lactose). Let me tell you it was STILL AMAZING!

I made this with adding another can of clams without the juice. I also followed the video and NOT the instructions. It's amazing. I LOVE Chef John's recipes.

This recipe was a wonderful alternative to plain old spaghetti. I didn't have anchovy paste., so I substituted for 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce. It probably did change the flavor some, but the dish was still great! I also used whole clams instead because I love them! Thanks Chef John! Great recipe!

This is a great fast meal. I do not like capers or anchovies so I omitted them. I added a bit of tomato paste, it increased the tomato flavor. I have made it several times now and continue to make it when I need a meal in a hurry. Thank you Chef John!

Will definitely make it again. Added additional clams

No changes, it will do in a pinch. Good excuse to open a bottle of wine.

Ease, flavor; magnificent. A new favorite!

I followed the menu, it was good.

The only thing I would do differently is adding more chopped clams.

Will make it again. Whole family loved it....

After the family had eaten only a fourth of the way through their plates, they declared this sauce "a keeper!" and "very satisfying!". In fact, everyone had seconds. Sophisticated flavors. It's even good over zoodles. It's rather quick to throw together, so it could be made on a weeknight--greatly appreciated by this cook!

Husband now loves clams

Easy to follow recipe with great flavor. Didn’t have white wine so I used red and it was fine. Feared it would be too salty but it was delicious!

I made this exactly like the recipe called except I didn’t have anchovy paste at the time & the red pepper flakes made it way too spicy for my husband to eat. I don’t like red clam sauce. I’m going to make it again tonight with the anchovy paste and no red pepper. Hopefully he’ll love it this way...is IS one of his favorites normally!

Simple, fast and good flavors. Follow video instructions instead of written.

One of my favorite recipes of all time. It is so yummy I dream of the next time I’ll make it daily. I use four cans of clams and double the garlic, capers and red pepper flakes - but I like a lot of spice. Thank you Chef John - this is one of your best!

There are several ingredients in this recipe including clams and capers that my husband dislikes. . . and yet he lapped this up! Be forewarned - a bit spicy!!

So easy and tasty! First time I made this...will make it again!

Fast and delicious! We all lived it!

Wow, this was amazing. I didn't have anchovy paste so I used whole anchovies instead. I used 2.5 anchovies. Everything else was exactly as the recipe called for. Very, very tasty. A little too salty but maybe I put too much salt in the pasta water. I will definitely make this again. BTW I was hesitant about using jarred sauce (I'm Italian and always make my own sauce) but I found one that had very simple ingredients and it was perfect. Thanks again Chef John for a great recipe. Edit: made this again with the anchovy paste and it was as good as the first time. Love this quick and easy but tasty recipe.

It was delicious

This was awesome and I will make it again frequently. Just one modification: I also used fresh clams that I steamed along with the canned clams.

This is a fabulous dish. I also made it using Alfredo sauce. Both are spectacular and easy to make. I left out the anchovy paste once then added it the second time. Except for being saltier really no difference in flavor. If you don't like your food too salty leave the paste out.

I did as others and put in sauce after reducing other ingredients. I saved some of my homemade sauce and added can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. Everyone loved it!!

This recipe was so easy to follow and came out delicious. It was the first time that I'd ever made a red clam sauce or used an anchovy paste. The only deviation was that I used red wine instead of white and it still tasted great. Fresh basil sprinkled on top with parmesan was a nice finish.

This was fabulous and so quick and easy to make. Thank you Chef John!

The recipe was definitely a keeper...minus the anchovi paste.

OMG Made this in addition to Thanksgiving lunch and guests ate 2 bowls of spaghetti. Best sauce I have ever ate, restaurants or home. The red chili flakes, achiovie paste, capers, garlic and wine just broke my mouth. Make it and wow them!

Made it last night and again tonight because it was so good! I read the reviews and cut back on the red pepper flakes and added more clams. Be sure to watch the video. Adding the ingredients is different from the recipe. Not sure if it really makes a difference. Worth trying!

I made it exactly as listed, and it was fabulous! I always made white clam sauce with pasta before, but from now on, our house is red! And yes, I wholeheartedly agree with Chef John's mission to "Make America Grate Again!"

Generally this was pretty good. It was a little sweet for my taste, maybe next time will use a different tomato sauce with less sugar than traditional pasta sauce available. The clams really made the dish and I would consider adding maybe one more can. I also added cayenne to offset some of the sweetness and because I love spiced food. Will make again. Thanks for recipe!

delicious! I changed a few minor things that do not really change the outcome. I used two cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of sauce, and I mashed them up after adding to the pan. I used 3/4 teaspoon of the red pepper, personal taste. I didn't have any anchovy paste. I just made it and haven't even put it on the pasta yet, but tried a spoonful, and it is SO good. Highly recommend another great recipe from Chef John.

I loved this. Since it was just for me I adjusted the recipe using a small can of minced clams and a small can of fire roasted diced tomatoes with garlic. Yummy!

spicy noodles with great taste

Used fish sauce instead of anchovy paste

This is very very Good

Best meal ever. instead of tomoato sauce. we did Bolognese sauce #OMG

Made as written. We can’t wait for leftovers. Super fast, super easy and super delicious!

Was skeptical at first but I made it & it was quite delicious! Husband loved it too! Yummy

My husband enjoyed this meal. Very simple to make

Completely LOVED this! The only thing I did different was use about 1/2 cup water (because I was planning on a longer simmer time) to clean out the marinara jar and 8oz clam juice for the 8oz wine. I simmered the sauce for close to an hour before I started the pasta water. Cooked the pasta (thin spaghetti) then added the clams to the sauce followed by the parmesan and chopped parsley. The BF loved it so much, he wants to use the sauce for a pizza! It was spicy, and so full-bodied of awesome flavor, that it needed nothing other than a crispy chunk of bead to make a impressionable meal! Thanks Chef, for making me look so good ;)

Outstanding meal ! I need to work on my timing to better sync the ready times of the Pasteur and the sauce, but it was DEE-lish nonetheless. Thank you !

The best quick red clam sauce ever. The only change I made was adding less red pepper flakes (1/4 - 1/2 tsp.).

I have made this several times and it is always so good! This is a favorite dish for our family on Christmas Eve as we do not eat meat until Christmas Day when the advent fast is over. I made it last night and did not have ready made pasta sauce so I used a can of crushed tomatoes and a can of tomato paste with just as tasty results. We didn’t have anchovy paste, so I used a tablespoon or so of Vietnamese fish sauce which works very well. Instead of returning the pasta to the cooking pot after draining it, I use a very large sauce pan when making the sauce and add the drained pasta to the sauce. Thanks Chef John for this very easy and tasty recipe.

This is the most amazing dish I’ve had in a VERY long time. Absolutely delicious. I’m the person who believed that red sauce and seafood DOES NOT go together. Boy was I wrong! I made it exactly as listed except more clams and an extra garlic clove. Just simmering the garlic, capers, anchovies, and red pepper was driving me crazy. After a few minutes, the meal was ready and I couldn’t stop until I was stuffed. So good! I have more for tomorrow... and maybe the next day. Thanks Chef John. You da man!!!

Excellent recipe, but as others mentioned, the instructions are wrong. The wine goes before the clam juice and sauce and allowed to reduce. I used anchovies instead of paste. Overall, perfect.

Yet another Chef John winner. Made it twice and have to say that the quality of the wine make a significant difference in taste. After the first time making it I felt that it could use more clams. But the second time I cooked the spaghetti completely then spooned the sauce on top while serving. This ensured that each serving had lots of clams. Delish!

Very flavorful Less anchovy paste and 1 more can clams also added mussels. Also follow video directions

I have been making a simple, delicious white clam sauce for years and have made Rachel Ray's red clam sauce a number of times. This recipe looked very simple, but had the anchovies so I wanted to try it. I like a lot of clams, so was going to double the amount of clams, but since I am cooking for two decided to cut the pasta sauce in half. Also half the amount of wine. Every thing else stayed the same. Don't worry about adding the clams last, dump every thing in and let it simmer for a hour uncovered. Came out surprisingly good.

Quick and easy. Be careful with the anchovy paste too much will overpower the dish. I used Bar Harbor chopped clams, very good overall.

Made for the first time last night....easy and very tasty! Added chopped zucchini to the sauce which gave it an extra dimension of flavor. Turned out so good the wife y who is not a fish fan asked for seconds! I also had some left over whipping cream so I added 2 tbls and increased the capers a bit. Next time I would add even more clams....didn't notice them as much as I would have liked...thx Chef John ...love your vids and personality!

so good replaces traditional spaghetti in our home!

Delicious, simple recipe! I made it with Miracle Noodles - Konjac style noodles which made it healthy as well!

Delicious and easy to make!

made as is.....so easy and perfect!

Will definitely make it again. Added additional clams

Devoured by entire family, even the picky eaters had seconds! Skipped the capers, and reduced red pepper flakes to a pinch - but will use at least 1/8 tsp next time. Not the prettiest, and looked way too wet and liquidy at first, but just scooped extra sauce over top of the plated pasta. Delicious!

Wonderful! My family is giving up red meat and I have been missing spaghetti. This recipe is absolutely delicious and will be a regular for us now :) So simple to prepare and a perfect balance of flavors. Thank you Chef John!!

Pretty good. Cut back on the anchovy paste and a little on the pepper flakes. The end result as written was a bit too salty, not too spicy but slightly overpowering. Use diced clams if you want to know their in there.

I could drink this sauce it’s so good. It rivaled my favorite Italian restaurant clam sauce. I sweetened it a drop and added shrimp. You can definitely add more clams also.