Chewy and Spicy Kkomak Bokkeum (Stir-Fried Cockles)
A side dish of blanched cockle meat stir-fried with spicy gochujang sauce and fragrant perilla leaves.
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 dish features seasonal, chewy cockles stir-fried with vegetables in a spicy sauce. Stir-fry quickly over medium heat or higher to keep moisture from pooling, and finish with fragrant perilla leaves for a wonderful side dish or drinking snack.
- Servings
- 2–3 servings
- Cook time
- 5 minprep not included
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Blood cockles1 pack (500 g)
- Onion1/3
- Red chili pepper1
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)1
- Large green onion (daepa)1/2 stalks
- Perilla leaves10 leaves
Seasoning
- Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)1 tbsp
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)1.5 tbsp
- Minced garlic0.5 tbsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang)1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)0.5 tbsp
- Ground black peppera little of each
- Toasted sesame oila little of each
- Pour in enough water to submerge the cockles, add 1-2 tbsp of coarse sea salt, and let them sit for 2-3 hours to purge the grit.
- After purging, add coarse sea salt, scrub them vigorously by hand, and rinse until the water runs clear.
Steps
Pour in enough water to submerge the cockles, add 1-2 tbsp of coarse sea salt, and let them sit for 2-3 hours to purge the grit.
In weather like this, leaving them at room temperature is fine. Some say you need to let them sit overnight,
but since we will boil them, pick out just the meat, and rinse it, this much is plenty.
Add coarse sea salt and scrub them vigorously by hand.
The shells are thick and will hurt your hands, so wear rubber gloves.
Rinse with clean water, scrub again, and keep rinsing until the water runs clear.
This part drains all your energy.
Add a little salt, pour in enough water to submerge the cockles, and bring it to a boil.
Add the cockles and keep boiling; as foam rises, they will begin to open up.
Skim off the foam that forms and stir the cockles around to switch top and bottom as they boil. About 5 minutes.
Unlike other shellfish, cockles do not open 100%.
Once boiled, pick out only the meat, shake and rinse it in cold water, and drain the moisture.
Cockles prepared this way are also delicious tossed in sea snail salad (golbaengi muchim) dressing.
Mix the ingredients listed above, except for the toasted sesame oil, to prepare the seasoning sauce.
Add oil to a heated pan and stir-fry the onion.
You must stir-fry quickly over medium heat or higher so liquid does not pool.
Once the onion cooks and turns translucent...
Add the large green onion, chili peppers, and seasoning sauce, then stir-fry.
Taste it, and if it is bland, adjust with salt.
Once the sauce blends with the ingredients and the green onion wilts, turn off the heat.
At the end, add the perilla leaves and toasted sesame oil, then toss together.
Perilla leaves cook quickly with just a little heat, so doing it this way is fine.
Ppunwife's tips
- When scrubbing cockle shells, wear rubber gloves because the thick shells can hurt your hands.
- Stir-fry the onion quickly over medium heat or higher to prevent liquid from pooling.
- Adding fragrant perilla leaves at the end makes it even more delicious.
FAQ
How long should I purge the cockles?
Add 1-2 tbsp of coarse sea salt to enough water to cover the cockles, and let them purge at room temperature for about 2-3 hours.
Is it okay if the cockles do not all open when boiled?
Unlike other clams, cockles do not all open up, so simply skim off the foam and boil them for about 5 minutes while turning them over.
How do I prevent liquid from pooling when stir-frying the vegetables?
Add oil to a heated pan and stir-fry quickly over medium heat or higher to keep liquid from pooling.
Can the prepared cockle meat be used in dishes other than stir-fries?
You can lightly toss it in sea snail salad (golbaengi muchim) dressing to enjoy it sweet and tangy.
