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If you love Chinese and seafood, I recommend clams in black bean sauce. It is a different take on stir-fried clams with the Chinese staple black bean sauce.
This dish is pungent, salty, and savory, ready in just 20 minutes! Here’s everything you need to know about this delicious dish:
All About Clams In Black Bean Sauce
Clams in black bean sauce is a popular dish commonly served at Cantonese alley restaurants (Dai pai dong).
In my recipe, the clams are stir-fried in ginger, onions, and garlic. Then, we add the signature sauce of this dish, the black beans sauce.
Black bean sauce is a paste condiment known as black bean garlic sauce. The sauce is made with douchi or fermented black soybeans and several seasonings. This special sauce enhances the clams’ flavors, giving them salty, peppery, smoky, and bitter tastes.
You can buy black bean sauce in local Asian supermarkets or make your own with my quick and easy recipe here. In addition to the sauce, the clams are stir-fried with green and red bell peppers for an additional mild sweet taste.
Serve this dish with steamed rice and savory side dishes or simply enjoy it on its own. If you loved this recipe, you’d definitely enjoy Black Bean Sauce Fish too.
Is There An Alternative To Black Bean Sauce?
Black bean sauce is great for a variety of dishes, from stir-fry to noodles and soups. So, I highly recommend having stock of this sauce to create different versions of black bean recipes. The distinct flavors of black bean sauce cannot be found in any other spices.
Thus, I recommend that you follow my full black bean sauce recipe or this shorter version to create a quick and easy black bean sauce:
- Heat oil in the pan and pour it over chopped fermented black beans, minced garlic, and minced ginger.
- Then, add 1 tsp light soy sauce and 1 tsp oyster sauce and mix well.
If you can’t seem to find this sauce at the store, there are a few close alternatives that you can swap with black bean sauce. However, the taste is NOT the same and will differ from the salty and funky flavors of fermented black bean sauce. In case you don’t have a choice to use substitutes, you can use these alternatives that are also made from fermented beans, except oyster sauce.
- Hoisin sauce
- Chunjang
- Miso paste
- Tian Mian sauce
- Oyster sauce (made from fermented oyster extract)
What You Need To Know About Clams
Not everyone is an expert in clams, so I’m here to help you out in choosing the right ones. I share some tips below on different types of clams you may find in the supermarket and how to pick out the freshest one. Plus, it’s important to know how to clean and prepare them for cooking, as explained in my guidelines below.
- Choose your preferred type of clam: Clams come in various shapes, sizes, and tastes. The types of clams available are hard shell, soft shell, cockles, manila, and surf, to name a few. Manila clams are the most common to use for this recipe. These clams are sweet, less salty, and briny.
- Pick the freshest clams: It is best to choose clams that are alive to guarantee freshness. Fresh clams should be tightly closed and not open. If the clams are already opened, it indicates it is already spoiled. Try tapping the opened clams and see if they close on their own. If they don’t close, it is best to discard them. Moreover, it should not have cracked shells and a foul fishy smell. The smell should still be pleasant and briny, similar to ocean air.
- Clean the clams and remove sand: The first thing you need to do after buying fresh clams is to clean them with water and remove the sand. In my recipe, I soaked the clams in a salt and water mixture for 10 minutes. If you are using live clams, this will allow the clams to open and spit out sand. Once all the sand is removed, drain and rinse the clams with water to clean them once more.
- Store clams in the fridge: Fresh clams last in the refrigerator for one to two days, while cooked clams can last up to three days. Once the clams are cleaned, store them in a breathable bag or a container covered with a damp towel. Place it in the coldest part of the refrigerator, usually at the back and farthest from the door.
Tips And Alternatives For Clams In Black Bean Sauce
All ingredients needed for the recipe are common grocery items, including clams, garlic, green onions, ginger, regular onions, and bell peppers. However, the only ingredient that may be tricky to find is the black bean sauce. This sauce is usually available in local Asian grocery stores or online. If you are looking to swap these ingredients for other alternatives, follow my recommendations below.
- Clams: Use any type of clam you prefer as suggested above. Aside from clams, you can also use mussels. These have a similar briny taste to clams but are milder and mushroom-like.
- Black Bean Sauce: You may find black bean sauce in jars or packets that are saucy and less whole in consistency. However, I recommend the ones with whole fermented black beans with garlic for better and stronger flavors. If you can’t find black bean sauce in the store, you can always make your own with my black bean sauce recipe. This homemade recipe takes only 20 minutes or less to make. Your homemade black bean sauce won’t go unused since you can use it in many different ways, including as a marinade, stir-fry sauce, and seasoning.
- Garlic: The blanched clams are sautéed with chopped garlic, which gives the dish its garlicky and nutty flavors. As a substitute for fresh garlic, use 1/8 tsp of garlic powder or 1/4 tsp of granulated garlic for every 1 garlic clove.
- Green Onion: Green onions, spring onions, scallions, and chives are great options for the sautéeing step. Each type has varying tastes but is not that noticeable. If you don’t have green onions, you can also use the regular type of onion, such as red, white, or yellow onions.
- Ginger: Ginger is sautéed with garlic and green onions to add a warm and peppery kick. As a replacement for fresh ginger, 1/4 to 1/2 tbsp of ground ginger can be used. Compared to fresh ginger, ground ginger is less pungent and less complex in flavor.
- Onion: For extra flavor, the clams are stir-fried with regular onions. It gives a bit of sweetness and oniony taste to the dish. I used red onions in my recipe to add color and subtle sweetness. You can also use yellow or white onions as an alternative. If you don’t have fresh onions but want to add an oniony taste, you can use onion powder instead.
- Green And Red Bell Peppers: The bell peppers are added on the last step of stir-frying, which are excellent for extra color and texture. Green bell peppers have a mild taste, with a bit of bitterness and sweetness. On the other hand, red bell peppers are mild and sweet.
What You Need To Make Clams In Black Bean Sauce
It’s an uncomplicated recipe requiring basic kitchen tools for blanching and stir-frying. Prepare a bowl for soaking the clams and a pot or pan to cook the clams and seasonings. Here’s a complete list of ingredients and tools you need to get started.
Kitchen Tools
- Bowl for soaking
- Pot or pan for blanching and stir-frying
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 500g clams
- 1 tsp salt
- 500ml to 1 liter of water
- Water for blanching
- 10g diced ginger
- 10g chopped green onion
- 10g chopped garlic
- 2 tbsp black bean sauce
- 20g green bell peppers
- 20g red bell peppers
- 20g red onion
- Oil for sautéeing and stir-frying
How To Make Clams In Black Bean Sauce
The recipe calls for four main parts: soaking, blanching, sautéeing, and stir-frying. You can do the soaking and blanching in advance to make it easier and faster when you’re ready to cook the dish. Get more ideas on how to cook this dish by watching my quick tutorial video on Instagram and Tiktok. Leave a comment below and share what you think about this recipe!
Soak the clams for 10 minutes or more with 1 tsp salt and enough water.
Then, blanch the clams until the shells open. Once all the shells are open, rinse, drain, and set aside.
Next, prepare a pan with oil. When the oil is hot and ready, sauté 10g ginger, 10g green onion, and 10g garlic.
Afterward, add 2 tbsp black bean sauce.
Sauté the seasonings until aromatic. Then, add the opened clams and stir-fry on high heat.
Add 20g green bell peppers, 20g red bell peppers, and 20g red onion. Mix well until the sauce is spread evenly and the vegetables are soft.
Clams In Black Bean Sauce
Equipment
- Bowl for soaking
- Pot or pan for blanching and stir-frying
Ingredients
- 500 g clams
- 1 tsp salt
- 500 ml to 1 liter of water
- Water for blanching
- 10 g diced ginger
- 10 g chopped green onion
- 10 g chopped garlic
- 2 tbsp black bean sauce
- 20 g green bell peppers
- 20 g red bell peppers
- 20 g red onion
- Oil for sautéeing and stir-frying
Instructions
- Soak the clams for 10 minutes or more with 1 tsp salt and enough water.
- Then, blanch the clams until the shells open.
- Once all the shells are open, rinse, drain, , and set aside.
- Next, prepare a pan with oil.
- When the oil is hot and ready, sauté 10g ginger, 10g green onion, and 10g garlic.
- Afterward, add 2 tbsp black bean sauce.
- Sauté the seasonings until aromatic.
- Then, add the opened clams and stir-fry on high heat.
- Add 20g green bell peppers, 20g red bell peppers, and 20g red onion.
- Mix well until the sauce is spread evenly and the vegetables are soft.
