Quickie Miso Mirin Clams

When you don't have a lot of time, clams are a dinner savior. Simply stir fry these little guys with a little Japanese miso paste and sweet mirin.

Course Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword clams, miso

Prep Time 20

Total Time 10

Servings

Calories 62kcal

Cover clams with cold water and 1 tsp salt. Let sit in the fridge for 20 minutes to 1 hour to remove any excess grit in the clams. Discard any cracked clams or open clams that do not close when touched.
Heat a saucepan or medium heat. Add clams miso paste and mirin. Cook while stirring to distribute miso and mirin until clams are open. This should take less than 5 minutes depending on how hot your pan is.
Serve clams on a plate and garnish with green onion and lemon wedges.

To store clams once you've bought them, cover with a damp towel in the fridge. This will help these little guys stay live.
Consider cooking clams in the winter when clams are at their peak meatiness. In summer, the meat inside is smaller, since they focus on reproduction.
Miso paste comes in red, white, and yellow varieties. Use the one that you already have or can easily purchase.
Avoid overcooking. The clams should be open but not completely look like an open book such that the meat overcooks and falls out and needs to be fished out of the cooking liquid.