The vastness of the ocean is awe-inspiring, and it offers a wealth of resources. Although human exploration of the ocean is limited, many marine creatures have become part of our diet. Among these, shellfish are a large and commonly consumed category of seafood. The methods for cooking shellfish differ from those for other types of seafood, not just because they have shells.
Shellfish Recipe: Bitter Melon Clams
In summer, dishes should be refreshing, and pairing with bitter melon naturally provides cooling, detoxifying, and heat-clearing effects.
Ingredients:
Half a bitter melon, clams as needed, ginger threads, scallion threads, sesame oil as needed.
Instructions:
1. Wash the bitter melon and cut into rings; prepare the scallion and ginger threads.
2. Soak the clams in water with a little salt to help them expel sand.
3. In a pot, add water, bitter melon, and ginger threads, then add the washed clams and bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Once the clams open, turn off the heat, add a little salt, scallions, and sesame oil for seasoning.
Tips:
To make clams expel sand more quickly, you can also add a little oil when soaking them in water.
Shellfish Recipe: Garlic Steamed Scallops
Garlic steamed scallops can be considered a classic dish among scallop preparations.
Ingredients:
4 scallops, 20 ml of fish sauce for steaming, 4 garlic cloves, 30 ml of sesame oil, a small amount of scallions and ginger, five-spice powder as needed, red pepper, 30 ml of cooking wine.
Instructions:
1. Scrub the scallops clean, crack them open, and clean the meat.
2. Make incisions on the scallop meat, then marinate with cooking wine for a while.
3. In a small bowl, mix chopped scallions, ginger, garlic, and red pepper, then add fish sauce and five-spice powder.
4. Place the soaked scallop meat back in the cleaned shells and pour the mixed seasoning over the scallop meat.
5. Steam in a steamer over high heat for about 5 minutes after the water boils.
6. In a separate pan, heat sesame oil and sauté scallions until fragrant, then pour over the scallop meat.
Tips:
Do not overcook the scallops. When cleaning, make sure to remove the black membrane and any impurities.
Shellfish Recipe: Goji Berry and Manila Clam Soup
Ingredients:
One block of tofu, half a pound of manila clams, goji berries as needed, 5 slices of ginger, a small amount of scallions, sesame oil, salt, monosodium glutamate, and sesame oil as needed.
Instructions:
1. Clean the manila clams, cut the tofu into cubes, rinse the goji berries, slice the ginger, and prepare the scallion flowers.
2. Add an appropriate amount of water to a pot and bring to a boil with ginger slices.
3. Add tofu, bring to a boil, then add manila clams and goji berries.
4. After the manila clams open, add salt, monosodium glutamate, sesame oil, and then sprinkle with scallion flowers before turning off the heat.
Shellfish Recipe: Seaweed Oysters
Ingredients:
500 grams of oysters, 30 grams of seaweed, sesame oil as needed, salt as needed, white pepper as needed, ginger, and cilantro as needed.
Instructions:
1. Soak and wash the seaweed, drain and set aside.
2. Rinse the oysters and drain. Bring water to a boil in a pot, add ginger threads and oysters.
3. Once the water comes to a boil again, add the seaweed and white pepper. Finally, add salt for seasoning, sprinkle with cilantro, and drizzle with sesame oil.
Tips:
Oysters should not be cooked for too long.