If you’ve ever dined at a Cantonese seafood restaurant, chances are you’ve come across clams in black bean sauce. This classic dish is a perfect balance of briny, umami-rich flavors with the deep savoriness of fermented black beans, making it a must-try for any seafood lover. Whether you’re looking to recreate a restaurant favorite at home or explore new Chinese flavors, this dish is surprisingly simple yet incredibly satisfying.
What types of clams to use
Manila clams work the best in this recipe. It’s a type of clam that is popular in Asian cuisine. It has a sweet and tender meat. It is also smaller in size, so it cooks faster, and is less salty.
That’s why it’s the perfect clam for stir fried dishes like this one.
I would stay away from hard-shell clams such as littleneck clams, or large steamers. Both are very briny and have a tougher texture. When cooked with a strong sauce such as black bean sauce, your dish might end up too salty.
How to prepare clams before cooking
Properly preparing clams before cooking is essential for removing sand and ensuring they are fresh and safe to eat.
- How to shop: First, make sure to buy live clams with tightly closed shells or those that close when tapped. Avoid any with cracked or broken shells.
- Rinse the clams: To prepare the clams for cooking, rinse them under cold running water to remove surface dirt. Use a stiff brush to scrub the shells clean.
- Purge Sand (Important!): Clams naturally contain sand, so purging is crucial.
- Place clams in a large bowl of cold water.
- Add salt (about 1 tablespoon per liter of water) to mimic seawater.
- Let them soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour so they spit out the sand.
- Change the water once or twice if needed.
- Final rinse: Remove the clams from the water without stirring up the sand at the bottom. Give them a final rinse under running water.
Now your clams are ready for cooking!
What is fermented black beans
Fermented beans (豆豉, dòu chǐ), also known as fermented black beans or Chinese fermented beans. It is a very salty ingredient made from cooked black soybeans fermented in heavily salinated water; a process that softens the beans and dries them out slightly. As a result, it has a deep umami flavor like soy sauce but with an even stronger, fermented fragrance. It’s the key ingredient in fermented bean sauce (豆豉酱), which combines other condiments to complement the savoriness of the bean itself.
You can purchase fermented black beans at Chinese grocery stores, large Asian markets, or on Amazon.
Homemade black bean sauce
In this recipe, I used fermented black beans to make a quick black bean sauce.But if you have made my homemade black bean sauce already, I highly recommend using it instead. It tastes slightly less salty and has more umami to it. It gives the dish a lot more fragrance without adding too much saltiness.
Mise en place
When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:
- Prepared clams
- Mixed sauce (Shaoxing wine & oyster sauce)
- Aromatics: shallot, fermented black beans, ginger, scallion
- Minced chili pepper
I used minced fresno pepper in this recipe. It doesn’t add too much heat, but the flavor and texture work very well with the strong black bean sauce. By dicing them small and adding them at the end of cooking, the pepper retains its crisp texture and the pieces land on the clams instead of melting into the sauce. If you do not like the spicy taste, you can always replace them with a sweet pepper. You can also use other types of chili pepper, such as anaheim, jalapeño, or even bird’s eye if you like the heat.
How to make clams in black bean sauce
Cooking clams in black bean sauce is super fast and easy once you have your ingredients ready.
First, stir fry the aromatics with the fermented black beans in oil to infuse the flavor.
Then add the clams and stir in the sauce. To cook the clams, cover and steam for 1 minute. The clams will start opening and release a lot of juice. Now, open the pan and cook without the lid until the clams are fully opened and the sauce has reduced.
To finish up, add the pepper, scallion greens and cilantro. Give it a final mix before serving.
The clams taste better this way
We found out that cooking the clams without covering the pan reduces the sauce efficiently, which results in a richer sauce that has a little thickness and more concentrated flavorl. Without reducing the sauce, the clams will be swimming in the salty brine (released from the clams) that is quite salty and less fragrant.
The other observation is, the clams taste better once they cool off slightly. By letting the clams sit in the sauce, it gives some time for the spices and aromatics to settle in, creating a more robust taste.
Pairing Suggestions
Clams in black bean sauce is a dish that is often served for Sunday dinner or a festive occasion along with other main dishes. This dish pairs beautifully with a side of garlic stir-fried baby bok choy, steamed jasmine rice, or crispy fried noodles. For a complete Cantonese-style feast, serve it alongside salt and pepper shrimp, char siu pork, beef chow fun, and sesame balls as a sweet treat to end the meal.
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Clams in Black Bean Sauce
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
Instructions
- 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.
- To make this dish gluten-free: Make sure to use a gluten-free oyster sauce.
Nutrition
Have a question or feedback? Add a Comment
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Eileen
If using LKK black bean and garlic sauce instead of fermented black beans, would you still use all the rest of the ingredients in the recipe ? Thank you !
Maggie Zhu
I would. The LKK sauce is nice but the garlic flavor is not that strong. I would simply replace the fermented black beans with the sauce without other changes.
Eileen
Thank you !
Dale
Hi Maggie, The clam recipe looks great but where do you buy Manila Clams on the East Coast?
Karen
I don’t see in the directions when to add the black beans. If I use prepared black bean sauce, how much should I add.
Maggie Zhu
Sorry about it! It should be added at the beginning of the stir fry along with the ginger and scallion. I just updated the recipe to reflect the correct steps.
If using premade sauce, I would use 1 tablespoon and add it along with the Shaoxing wine and oyster sauce.
Karen
Thanks Maggie, picking up some clams on my next shopping trip. This looks yummy.