This steamed clams recipe is fresh shellfish cooked with garlic, butter, herbs and lemon. An easy and elegant dish that makes for a lighter main course or unexpected appetizer offering.
You can never go wrong with fresh seafood recipes, whether it’s air fryer shrimp, almond crusted salmon, grilled lobster, bacon wrapped scallops or these flavorful clams in a butter and herb sauce.
I always order steamed clams as an appetizer when I go to restaurants, but I’ve learned that this dish is actually super quick and easy to make at home! You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how simple it is to put a fabulous and flavorful meal on the table.
Table of Contents
Steamed Clams Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need clams, butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, white wine, salt, black pepper, lemon juice and fresh herbs. I typically use littlenecks for the clams, but any smaller variety such as cherrystones will work.
How Do You Make Steamed Clams?
Melt butter in a pan, then add a generous amount of garlic and a pinch of red chili flakes. Add a good quality white wine, then bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the clams to the pan, then cover with a lid and cook until the clams are open. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add a sprinkle of fresh parsley, then serve immediately and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Steamed Clams
- I recommend buying your littleneck clams the same day that you plan to cook them. If you need to store the clams for a longer period of time, place them in an open container in the refrigerator and cover them with damp paper towels.
- Be sure to discard any clams that have not opened during the cooking process, as they are not good to eat.
- Plan on purchasing 1 pound of clams per person to serve as a main course, or 1/2 pound per person to serve as an appetizer.
- I like to serve my steamers with a side of bread to soak up the broth, but you can also serve this dish over angel hair pasta with great results. You can also serve an Italian salad, panzanella salad, Hasselback sweet potatoes or cucumber salad on the side.
Quick Tip
This dish is best when served immediately after cooking. Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Recipe FAQs
Start by picking through your clams to discard any that are open or chipped. Place the clams in a bowl, then add fresh water to cover. Let the clams sit in the water for 20 minutes. This will allow the clams to expel any sand that may be in their shells. These days, most clams are farmed and typically do not contain much, if any sand. Drain the water, then scrub the clams with a soft brush. At this point, the clams are ready to cook.
It takes about 7-9 minutes to steam clams. Be sure not to boil the clams or they can become tough, a gentle simmer is all that is needed. The clams are cooked through when the shells have opened.
Clams are a great addition to any healthy diet. This type of shellfish is low in calories and carbohydrates, yet high in protein. Clams are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, magnesium and Vitamin B12. This recipe does contain butter, but you could swap it out with heart healthy olive oil or cut the butter in half if you’re watching your calories.
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Flavor Variations
This clam recipe is delicious as-is, but you can add other ingredients to the mix to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Shellfish: This recipe also works great with mussels, or you can use a combination of mussels and clams.
- Meat: Feel free to add some cooked and diced bacon, Spanish chorizo or pancetta to your clams.
- Beans: Stir in some canned chickpeas or white beans for a heartier meal.
- Vegetables: Add some sauteed vegetables to the clams such as fennel, red bell peppers or thinly sliced red onion. Another great option is fresh or canned diced tomatoes.
Whenever I have a hankering for a taste of the sea, I whip up a pot of these succulent clams. The seafood lovers in your life will adore this recipe!
More Seafood Recipes To Try
Popcorn Shrimp Recipe
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Fried Calamari Recipe
55 mins
Seafood Pasta Recipe
40 mins
Shrimp Boil Recipe
30 mins
Honey Glazed Salmon
30 mins
Steamed Clams Video
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Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Steamed Clams
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 cup white wine
- 4 pounds fresh clams cleaned
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped herbs such as parsley, chives or basil
- herb sprigs and lemon wedges for garnish optional
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the butter and melt it.
- Add the garlic and chili flakes and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the white wine and bring to a simmer; do not boil.
- Place the clams in the pot, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot, then simmer for 7-9 minutes or until clams have opened. Discard any clams that are still shut.
- Stir in the lemon juice and herbs. Serve immediately, garnished with herb sprigs and lemon wedges if desired.
Notes
- I recommend buying your clams the same day that you plan to cook them. If you need to store the clams for a longer period of time, place them in an open container in the refrigerator and cover them with damp paper towels.
- Be sure to discard any clams that have not opened during the cooking process, as they are not good to eat.
This is a such a simple recipe that is packed with flavour. We served this with crusty bread to mop up all the delicious juices.
Made this tonight and had a perfect outcome! So much flavor and thank you for the tip telling us not to boil the clams – great tip. Served this with a green salad.
YUM!!! The sauce for this was so delicious! I added extra lemon juice in the end.
This recipe is just perfect.
I doubled the batch because I have a teenage son that eats a ton . Think I could use the stock for a clam chowder?
Yes that should work!
I’ve never made clams or mussels before and this recipe was amazing! Thank you so much for sharing such a simple but tasty recipe 😉
I bought fresh clams at our local Asian market. I wasn’t sure what to do with them so I was delighted with this recipe. They came out super great!
Can chicken stock be used in place of the wine?
Yes that’s fine!
I rarely make a recipe exactly as written but this time i did. They were delicious, perfect & the broth so yummy served with crostini , caprese salad and white wine. Freezing the broth to have with pasta another night, might add a can of clams. Thank you, recipe a keeper.
I always save the broth from clams I have steamed . This time I used white wine one small pink lemon squeezed some powdered garlic some thyme some oregano and a little salt . So now I have seasoned broth for my Manhattan clam chowder
My husband just loved these clams! I served them with pasta. Yum!
I have never cooked clams before, but gave this a try and they turned out amazing! Super easy, decadent, and delicious! Definitely impressed my family with this one!
Simple to make but so delicious to eat! Very tasty!
I love how simple this dish is yet it looks so fancy, I served this to some friends for dinner and they were amazed, this will be a staple for any dinners.
I love these steamed clams! They’re so tasty and easy to do!
These clams are incredibly delicious!! We enjoyed every bite!! YUM!
WOW! I can’t wait to try these! They looks absolutely amazing!
This was a huge hit at my house! Everyone loved it!
I’ve always wondered how to make these, and now I’m going to have them for dinner!
This steamed clams is seriously making me hungry!
Yum! These look so delicious! Can’t wait to try these!