Clams (generic, large clams)

蜆

clears heat利濕nourishes yin民間謂護肝退黃

Clams in the general sense, from small hin jai to large hin, bought live and purged before cooking. Done Cantonese boat-family style — ginger flash-fried, water boiled, clams covered two to three minutes until every shell opens — they give a clean, sweet umami broth with vermicelli, daikon or white pepper. Any unopened shell is discarded.

TCM properties

Nature · cold　Flavour · sweet、salty　Meridians · stomach

Traditional food therapy

In Cantonese food therapy clams are used to clear heat, drain dampness and nourish yin, and folk tradition also credits clam soup with caring for the liver.

Cautions — read first

[SAFETY CRITICAL] Soak them in salted water to purge the sand
[SAFETY CRITICAL] Cook them right through until every shell is fully open (2 to 3 minutes) before eating, and throw away any that stay shut. Raw shellfish carry a risk of Vibrio vulnificus and norovirus
Go carefully if you have gout
Avoid if you are allergic to seafood
Those with a weak, cold spleen and stomach should drink it sparingly

Preparation

Once they are purged, cook them the oil-salt-water way (油鹽水): flash-fry ginger, add water and bring it to the boil, drop in the clams, cover for 2 to 3 minutes until every shell is open, then kill the heat.

Origin

新南威爾士、南澳沿岸貝類漁場 — Fresh clams are in-store fishmonger items in AU; dried clams (~$5.40/100g) are the pantry relative

Availability in Australia

Common at Asian grocers

Pairs well with

Mung bean vermicelli Fresh ginger Spring onion / scallion White radish / daikon Peppercorn, chiefly white

Soups that use this ingredient · 1

Ginger-scallion clam soup / "oil-and-salt-water" clam and glass noodle soupNot yet surveyed (we say so honestly)

薑蔥蜆湯／油鹽水花甲粉絲湯

whets the appetiteAll year

街市Clams (generic, large clams)· 600 g (1 catty)街市Fresh ginger· 5 slices街市Spring onion / scallion· 2百子櫃Mung bean vermicelli· 1 bunch百子櫃Peppercorn, chiefly white· a pinch

“Just off the stove — drink it while it is hot.”