Asari Clam Miso Soup
A delicate Japanese soup with tender littleneck clams in a savory miso broth, finished with green onions. Ready in under 20 minutes with just six pantry staples.
- Total time
- 18 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 95
- Protein
- 12g
Ingredients
- 8 whole littleneck clams, cleaned under cold running water
- 3 cups dashi (or water with 1 teaspoon instant dashi powder)
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- ¼ cup sake (or dry white wine)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 whole scallions, sliced thinly at an angle
Instructions
- 1
Hold each clam under cold running water and scrub the shell with a stiff brush or rough cloth to remove sand and grit, turning the clam as you scrub all sides. Discard any clams with cracked shells or that do not close when gently pressed.
- 2
Pour the dashi into a medium pot and bring it to a boil over high heat, about 4 minutes — you will see large bubbles rolling vigorously across the surface.
- 3
Add the 8 cleaned clams and 0.25 cup sake to the boiling broth and reduce the heat to medium-high, keeping the soup at a strong simmer.
- 4
Wait 5–7 minutes until all the clams have opened their shells, releasing their meat inside. Discard any clams that do not open after this time.
- 5
Place the 2 tablespoons white miso paste in a small bowl and whisk it together with 0.5 cup of the hot broth from the pot until the paste dissolves completely and no lumps remain.
- 6
Pour the dissolved miso mixture back into the pot and stir gently with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds until the soup is uniform and smooth throughout. Do not boil after adding miso — this preserves the beneficial enzymes.
- 7
Taste the soup and add 0.25 teaspoon salt, stirring to combine, or add more to taste depending on how salty your dashi was.
- 8
Ladle the soup into two bowls, dividing the clams equally and ensuring each bowl has 4 clams with broth.
- 9
Scatter the sliced scallions on top of each bowl in a small mound in the center, then serve immediately while the soup is hot.
Tools you’ll need
- stiff-bristled brush or clean cloth
- medium pot (4-quart)
- small bowl
- whisk
- wooden spoon
- ladle
- two serving bowls
- cutting board and knife
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