Stir Fried Clams in Black Bean Sauce
Course: Dinner, Main DishCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy
Servings
2
servingsPrep time
1
hourCooking time
10
minutesTotal time
1
hour10
minutes
Cook Mode
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Ingredients
2 lbs manila clams
Salt , for soaking the clams
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Shaoxing Wine
1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
2 shallots red onion , thinly sliced
3 scallions (or 1/2 red onion) , sliced to 1” (2.5 cm) pieces, white and green parts separated
1 ” ginger , julienned
1 1/2 tablespoon fermented black beans , rinsed
2 fresno chilis (or other hot peppers, or 1/2 red pepper) , seeds removed and minced (*Footnote 1)
Small handful Cilantro , chopped
Directions
- Place the clams in a large bowl. Add 8 cups cold tap water and 2 tablespoons of salt. Stir to mix well. Soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking. This process purges the clams of extra grit by mimicking the clams’ natural environment. Right before cooking, transfer the clams to a large colander to drain well.
- Mix the Shaoxing wine and oyster sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering Add the shallot, scallion whites, ginger and fermented black beans. Stir and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the clams and pour the sauce over. Toss to cover the clams in the sauce and aromatics. Cover the pan, and cook until the clams start to open, 1 minute. Uncover the pan. Keep cooking until the clams fully open and the sauce has reduced, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the scallion greens, chili pepper, and the cilantro. Mix again. Discard any clams that have not opened. Serve as an appetizer or main dish.
Notes
- Fresno chilis can be replaced with sweet peppers for less spice, or Bird’s Eye chilis for more spice.
- Rinsing the fermented black beans removes some salt so they won’t make the dish too salty.
- To avoid any remaining dirt making it into the food, leave some of the clam sauce in the pan when plating. The grit will fall to the bottom of the pan, and the last bit of sauce often has most of the grit, if there is any left in the clams.
