Yumivore’s CookUp Club
I love cooking online with friends in our Tasting Jerusalem group, but there’s something special about sharing a kitchen in person. When Orly of Yumivore invited me to join her new CookUp Club, I couldn’t wait to participate.
March Theme – Cooking with Alcohol
Once a month, six of us gather in Orly’s kitchen, each preparing a dish to share. A theme is selected and everyone interprets it in their own way. I missed the first meeting (which focused on olive oil), but the recap of that menu is available on Orly’s blog. For the March session the theme was cooking with alcohol. After seeing other members’ ideas, I decided to make sake-steamed clams — a chance to cook with sake, a Japanese rice wine, and to cook clams for the first time myself.
I brought two small bottles of sake for everyone to taste: one dry and one slightly sweet. We agreed the dry sake would be a great base for a cocktail—especially paired with fruity or tropical flavors.
Sake Steamed Clams – A Mingling of Two Recipes
The clams were surprisingly simple to prepare. I combined techniques from two recipes I admired, both of which recommended Manila clams. I couldn’t find those, so I used Littlenecks from Whole Foods instead.
Clean those Clams!
Cleaning the clams thoroughly is essential. I soaked them in cold water with about a tablespoon of salt for an hour to encourage them to release sand. The water became cloudy, so I rinsed each clam under running water and set them aside. I then changed the water and let them sit again until the water stayed clear.
The Technique
I heated sake, a little water, and julienned fresh ginger in a wok-style pan until boiling. I added the clams and sliced green onions, reduced the heat, covered the pan, and steamed them for about five minutes until the shells opened. Discard any clams that remain closed.
I served the clams over freshly cooked Japanese rice with a little of the cooking liquid spooned on top and a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi (a Japanese chili spice blend). The result tasted of the sea with a delicate sake aroma and a gentle heat from the spice. You can also serve the clams on soba noodles or simply as a shared appetizer.
Alongside my clams we enjoyed an impressive spread: a salad topped with bourbon-maple pistachios, homemade pasta cooked in red wine, whiskey-glazed carrots, beer bread, red-wine-braised stuffed mushrooms, and a decadent three-liquor cupcake—beer-infused chocolate cake with whiskey ganache and Irish cream whipped topping. It made for a festive weeknight dinner and left me excited to see next month’s theme.
If you have leftover sake, try it in other dishes such as miso-marinated cod or Korean short ribs to use it up. For easy browsing, my main course recipes are available in the recipe index on my site.
Enjoy!
Do you cook clams? If so, what’s your favorite preparation?
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P.S. If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating or a review in the comments. I appreciate your feedback!
Sake Steamed Clams
Beth Lee
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Manila or Littleneck clams (I bought a bit extra in case some didn’t open)
- 1 tablespoon julienned fresh ginger
- 1 1/4 cup sake
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup water
- 2 – 3 green onions, sliced
- fresh ground pepper
- ichimi or shichimi togarashi for sprinkling
- Japanese rice for serving (optional)
Instructions
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Clean the clams well. Soak them in cold water with about 1 tablespoon of salt for an hour to draw out sand. Rinse each clam under running water and set aside. Change the soaking water and let them rest until ready to cook.
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In a large sauté pan or wok, combine the sake, water, and ginger and bring to a boil. Add the clams and green onions, reduce heat to low, cover, and steam for about 5 minutes. Discard any clams that remain closed.
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Serve the clams over rice or noodles, spooning some of the cooking liquid on top and passing the togarashi for sprinkling.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 3 g
Protein: 3 g
Cholesterol: 6 mg
Sodium: 137 mg
Potassium: 22 mg
Vitamin A: 70 IU
Calcium: 11 mg
Iron: 0.4 mg
Let us know how it was!