Manila clams are often found at Asian grocers; small, tender clams in a hard shell.  They are usually cooked with fermented black beans which is a delicious dish, but I worry about the fermented beans and risk for cancer.  However, this study has not been replicated, and more recent work points primarily to preserved fish and meats as the major risk factors.  In any case, here is a tasty Taiwanese recipe from RasaMalaysia that does not us fermented black beans.

Ingredients

1 lb Manila Clams
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 tbsp fresh ginger (peeled and cut into thin strips)
1 serrano pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
2 scallions (cut into 2-inch lengths)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon rice wine
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1.5 tablespoons canola oil

Preparation

Clean and scrub the shells of the clams thoroughly, they often have quite a lot of grit that can carry through the cooking and detract from the overall dish. Rinse with cold water and drain.

Heat a wok and add the cooking oil. When the cooking oil is very hot, add garlic and ginger and stir-fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds.  Then add the chili peppers and do a few quick stirs.

Add the clams into the wok and stir a few times and cover with the wok’s lid. When the clams start to open up, add all the seasonings into the wok.

Cover the lid again until most clams are open. Add the chopped scallions into the wok, do a few quick stirs, dish out and serve immediately.

Nutrition

4 servings