Spicy Kijogae Bokkeum (Stir-Fried Pen Shell Scallops)
A chewy seafood side dish made by quickly stir-frying pen shell scallop adductor muscles and vegetables in a spicy sauce.
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 chewy pen shell scallops stir-fried with vegetables in a spicy-sweet gochujang sauce. Because scallops become tough if cooked too long, the key is to add the sauce and stir-fry quickly as soon as their translucent look disappears. It makes a wonderful side dish for rice as well as a special bar snack.
- Servings
- 2–3 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Pen shell clam (kijogae)6
- Onion1/2
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)2
- Red chili pepper1
- Large green onion (daepa)1/3 stalks
Seasoning
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang)1 tbsp
- Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)1 tbsp
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)2 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Sugar1 tsp
- Ground black peppera little
- Toasted sesame oilas needed
- Toasted sesame seedsas needed
- Cut away the part connecting the adductor muscle to the meat and discard the innards. Rub with your hands under running water to wash off any mud or grit.
- Only the pen shell scallop adductor muscles were used here, but carrots, cabbage, or mushrooms can also be added.
Steps
1. I had the shells and meat separated on the spot when I bought the pen shell clams.
Cut away the part connecting the adductor muscle to the meat and discard the innards.
Rub with your hands under running water to wash off any mud or grit.
I could not take photos of how to separate and clean the pen shell clam.
There is a blog post by my neighbor Ain showing the cleaning process, so I have linked it here.
Here: http://blog.naver.com/wjstj0123/100102258845
2. I used only the adductor muscles of the pen shell scallops. For 6 scallops, slice them thinly into bite-size pieces.
Cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces as well.
Feel free to also use carrots, cabbage, or mushrooms.
3. Mix all the seasoning ingredients together, except for the toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.
4. Heat a pan with cooking oil and stir-fry the onion.
5. Add the scallops and stir-fry until they turn opaque white.
Scallops become tough if cooked too long, so add the sauce as soon as the translucent look disappears.
6. Add the prepared sauce...
7. Add the remaining vegetables and toss everything together evenly.
8. Once the sauce and ingredients are well blended and stir-fried, finish with toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.
Ppunwife's tips
- Scallops become tough if cooked too long, so add the sauce as soon as the translucent look disappears.
FAQ
Is there a trick to keeping the scallops from getting tough?
Scallops stay tender when you add the sauce and cook them quickly as soon as their translucent appearance turns opaque white in the pan.
Are there other vegetables I can add besides the basic ones?
In addition to onion, large green onion, and chili peppers, you can also stir-fry them with carrots, cabbage, or mushrooms to your liking.
How can I use the rest of the clam parts aside from the adductor muscles?
The mantle and ruffle portions can be chopped and mixed into Korean pancake mix batter with scallions to make pajeon, or used as an ingredient for soups.
