Sake-Steamed Clams (アサリの酒蒸し, Asari no Sakamushi)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide lidded pan
• •Shallow bowl for purging
• •Small ladle or spoon for serving broth

Instructions

1. 1

   Purge the clams

   Dissolve the salt in the water to make a brine that tastes like the sea, then set the clams in it for 30 minutes in a cool, dim place. The brine lets live clams breathe normally, so they spit out sand instead of tightening shut. Keep them in a single layer if you can, because buried clams do poor work.

2. 2

   Rinse and check

   Lift the clams out of the brine without pouring the sandy water back over them. Scrub the shells under cold running water, tapping any open clams; discard any that stay open or smell off. Sourcing first, always. No amount of sake will rescue a tired clam.

3. 3

   Steam with sake

   Put the clams in a wide pan with the sake and ginger, if using. Cover tightly and set over medium-high heat. Shake the pan once or twice as the sake comes to a lively simmer, not to stir but to help the clams heat evenly. In 3 to 5 minutes, the shells should open and their liquor will have made a clear broth with the sake.

   Use a wide pan rather than a deep pot. Clams open faster in one layer, and the first ones don't overcook while the last ones are still deciding.
4. 4

   Remove open clams

   As soon as most shells open, take the pan off the heat and move the opened clams to a warm bowl. Give any closed clams another minute under the lid, then discard those that still refuse. Overcooked clams toughen quickly, and this dish has no heavy sauce to apologize for them.

5. 5

   Season the broth

   Taste the broth in the pan. If it is already briny and sweet, leave it alone. If it wants a little edge, add the usukuchi a few drops at a time. Pour the broth over the clams, scatter the scallion on top, and serve at once while the shells are glossy and the broth is clear.

Chef Tips

• •Buy live clams with tightly closed shells and a clean ocean smell. Ask when they came in. A good fishmonger will tell you, and on a poor day that answer is the recipe.
• •Do not soak clams in fresh water. It shocks them, and shocked clams don't purge well. Salt water is not fussiness here, it's the method doing its quiet work.
• •Use drinkable sake, not cooking sake with added salt. The liquid reduces into the broth you will spoon up, so anything harsh in the bottle becomes louder in the bowl.
• •If you want a richer variation, a small knob of butter is common in modern home cooking, but it changes the clean line of the dish. For the plain version, sake and clam liquor are enough.

Advance Preparation

• •The clams can purge in salted water for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator if they are very sandy. Keep the bowl loosely covered and cool.
• •Cook this dish just before serving. Steamed clams tighten as they sit, and reheating makes them tough.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 90g)