Spicy and Chewy Kkomak Jjim (Steamed Cockles)
A chewy seafood side dish made by spooning a spicy sauce over boiled blood cockles.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This side dish features boiled, purged blood cockles topped with a spoonful of spicy sauce. Cooling and mixing the clear broth from boiling the cockles into the sauce gives it a much deeper savory flavor than plain water. The chewy texture pairs wonderfully with the spicy, savory sauce.
- Servings
- about 2–3 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Blood cockles1 pack
Seasoning sauce
- Soy sauce2 tbsp
- Minced green onion1 tbsp
- Minced chili pepper1 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tsp
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)2 tbsp
- Clear liquid from boiled blood clams2 tbsp
- Sugara little
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Toasted sesame oil
- First, dissolve salt in cold water and soak the cockles in the saltwater for 2 hours to let them purge.
Steps
It must be cockle season, as I saw plenty of live ones at the market.
First, dissolve salt in cold water and soak the cockles in the saltwater for 2 hours so they can purge.
Scrub the cockles vigorously with your hands, repeating until the water runs clear.
Place the cockles in cold water with a little salt, boil until they open their shells, then take them out and remove half of each shell.
Do not discard the cooking liquid; let the sediment settle and use the clear top liquid to make the sauce.
Cooling this liquid to make the sauce instead of using plain water makes the cockles taste much better.
Mix the sauce ingredients together according to the recipe.
Spoon a little sauce over each cockle meat, and it will look like this.
Completed kkomak jjim.
Ppunwife's tips
- Do not discard the cooking liquid; let the sediment settle and use the clear top liquid to make the sauce. Cooling this liquid to make the sauce instead of using plain water makes the cockles taste much better.
FAQ
How do you purge blood cockles?
Dissolve salt in cold water, add the cockles, and leave them for about 2 hours to purge out any impurities.
Is there a trick to making the sauce more flavorful?
After boiling the cockles, let the cooking broth settle, then cool the clear top liquid and mix it into the sauce for much richer flavor.
How do you prepare the cockle shells?
Boil the cockles until they open up, take them out, remove one half of each shell, and spoon the sauce onto the half with the meat still attached.
