Stir-Fried Clams With XO Sauce Recipe

Briny, juicy clams up the ante on XO's seafood punch, for a ridiculously easy dish that comes together in minutes.

By
Sasha Marx
Sasha Marx
Senior Culinary Editor
Sasha is a senior culinary editor at Serious Eats. He has over a decade of professional cooking experience, having worked his way up through a number of highly regarded and award-winning restaurant kitchens, followed by years spent in test kitchens for food publications.
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Published May. 02, 2019
20190411-clams-xo-sauce-vicky-wasik-11
Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Briny clams complement the savory seafood punch of XO sauce.
  • Purging the clams guarantees they won't be sandy.
  • Removing the clams as they steam and open in the skillet ensures that they don't overcook and become rubbery.

如果你有一批自制XO saucekicking around in your fridge, and are looking foranother recipeto use it in, then you've come to the right place. Clams with XO is a classic combination that doubles down on the savory seafood notes of this awesome condiment, with briny, juicy fresh clams playing a nice foil to the chewy crunch of the dried scallops and shrimp in the XO.

After giving the clams a salt-water soak to purge them of any sand or grit, we quickly cook fresh aromatics like garlic and ginger, which are also used in the XO sauce, in some oil to provide vegetal brightness to the dish. We add clams and Shaoxing wine to the pan, which we then cover to allow the clams to quickly steam, and we remove the clams as they begin to open, rather than waiting to remove them all at once, to prevent them from overcooking and turning rubbery. Once the clams are all out of the pan, we stir a generous amount of XO sauce into the cooking liquid to form an intense seafood pan sauce. This XO-clam sauce gets spooned over the clams, followed by a sprinkling of scallion greens.

Serve this as-is for an appetizer, or with steamed white rice as a main course. This is another example of how setting yourself up for success by stocking your fridge with flavor-bomb condiments like XO sauce makes cooking a whole lot easier on the back-end.

Recipe Facts

Active:15 mins
Total:75 mins
Serves:4 servings

Rate & Comment

华体会应用下载

  • Kosher salt

  • 2 pounds (900g)fresh small clams, such as littlenecks, Manilas, or cockles (about 3 dozen littlenecks or 4 dozen Manilas or cockles)

  • 2tablespoons(30ml)vegetable oil

  • 4mediumgarlic cloves(20g), thinly sliced

  • 2scallions(40g), white and green parts divided and thinly sliced

  • 1-inch piece (1/2 ounce;15g)fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

  • 1fresh green or red Thaichile, stemmed and thinly sliced

  • 1/2cup(120ml)Shaoxing wine(see notes)

  • 1/4cup(75g)XO sauce

Directions

  1. 填满一个大碗里用冷水和enou搅拌gh salt to make it salty like the sea (a 3% salt solution, by weight, is a good ratio). Add clams and let stand 30 minutes. Lift clams from water and discard purging water; if there is sand in the bottom of the bowl, rinse it out and repeat this process until clams no longer release sand into the water (usually 2 to 3 purging cycles). Discard any clams that are gaping open and refuse to close when prodded.

  2. In a large skillet or wok, heat vegetable oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic, white scallion parts, ginger, and Thai chili, and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are lightly golden and just begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

  3. Add clams and Shaoxing wine, cover, and increase heat to high. Cook, checking every 30 seconds or so and transferring clams as they open to a large heatproof serving bowl, until all clams have opened, about 5 minutes. Taste the cooking liquid for seasoning; if it is especially salty, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the salinity is brought back into balance.

  4. Add XO sauce to skillet, and stir until XO is heated through and well-incorporated. Spoon sauce over the clams, and then scatter reserved green scallion parts over top. Serve immediately.

Special equipment

Large skillet orwok

Notes

Dry sherry, or in a pinch even a dry white wine, can be substituted for Shaoxing wine.

使-Ahead and Storage

The clams can be purged and stored in the refrigerator up to 1 day in advance. The rest of the recipe comes together very quickly and, as with most fresh shellfish dishes, is best enjoyed immediately.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts(per serving)
224 Calories
9g Fat
10g Carbs
21g Protein
Show Full Nutrition LabelHide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 224
% Daily Value*
Total Fat9g 12%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol58mg 19%
Sodium1001mg 44%
Total Carbohydrate10g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein21g
Vitamin C 20mg 101%
Calcium 96mg 7%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 638mg 14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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