Cross-Cultural · China

Clams in Black Bean Sauce (豉汁炒蜆)

Name: Clams in Black Bean Sauce (豉汁炒蜆)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 lbs clams or cockles, soaked in cold water 30 min (900g); 1/4 oz fresh ginger, minced; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 2 whole chili peppers, finely chopped; 3 scallion stalks, whites chopped, greens reserved; 1 1/4 tbsp fermented black bean sauce; 2 tsp light soy sauce; 1 tsp dark soy sauce; 1 tbsp oyster sauce; 1/4 cup water; 1 tsp sugar; 1/4 tsp white pepper; 1 tsp sesame oil; 1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 3 tbsp water; 2 tbsp cooking oil

Parboiled clams stir-fried with fermented black beans, garlic, ginger, and chili in a glossy Cantonese sauce

chinesecantoneseseafoodclamsblack-beanfermentedstir-frywok

Jump to Recipe

Seafood and fermented black beans are two pillars of Cantonese cooking, and when they meet in a hot wok the result is one of those dishes that smells so good it draws people into the kitchen before you have even finished cooking.

The technique uses a two-stage cooking method. The clams are parboiled first in plain water just until they pop open, which cooks them to the perfect point of doneness. Then they go into the wok with the sauce for only 30 seconds, just long enough to coat them. If you try to cook clams entirely in the wok, some will overcook while others remain raw, and the liquid they release will thin the sauce.

At a Glance

Yield

4 servings

Prep

30 minutes

Cook

20 minutes

Total

50 minutes

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients

4 servings

2 lbsclams or cockles, soaked in cold water 30 min (900g)
1/4 ozfresh ginger, minced
3garlic cloves, minced
2whole chili peppers, finely chopped
3scallion stalks, whites chopped, greens reserved
1 1/4 tbspfermented black bean sauce
2 tsplight soy sauce
1 tspdark soy sauce
1 tbspoyster sauce
1/4 cupwater
1 tspsugar
1/4 tspwhite pepper
1 tspsesame oil
1 tbspcornstarch, mixed with 3 tbsp water
2 tbspcooking oil

Method

1
Soak clams 30 min. Mix sauce (soy sauces, oyster sauce, water, sugar, white pepper). Mix cornstarch slurry.
2
Parboil clams until they open (~4 min). Remove. Discard any that smell off. Clean wok.
3
Stir-fry ginger, garlic, scallion whites, chili on high (15-20 sec). Add black bean sauce on low (5-10 sec). Add onion and bell pepper (30-35 sec).
4
Add clams, stir-fry 25-30 sec. Add sauce on high, stir 50 sec. Thicken with slurry. Finish with sesame oil. Serve.