Chinese Razor Clam Recipe with 3 Steps: A Seafood Sensation

Razor clams are one of the famous seafood because of their high protein content. You may even love them more as they allow you to cook various dishes.

Are you a big fan of razor clams? If yes, welcome to our blog. We will reveal a terrific Chinese razor clam recipe you may not have tried before.

So are you ready? Let’s head for the kitchen and enjoy this mouth-watering dish!

Chinese Razor Clam Recipe: Step-by-Step Instructions

There are various ways to cook razor clams in the Chinese style. The most popular method is stir-frying the clams with garlic and other aromatics.

This recipe sounds simple, but it will yield a flavorful dish. You only need to follow the following three steps to prepare for it.

Step 1: Clean the Clams

Cleaning the razor clams is important because dirt and sand have accumulated there. You should decide to cook the clams with shells or without shells at this step because it changes how you clean them.

For example, the cleaning task will be easier if you want to keep the shells to retain the clam meat’s moisture. All you need to do is:

• Scrub the shells with a brush under flowing water to remove grit and sand.
• Soak the razor clams in salted water for about 20 minutes.
• Rinse the clams thoroughly and drain the water.
• Cut the clams length-wise to reveal the meat.
• Remove the brown cells in the meat.
• Rinse the clams under running water again and drain them.

If you only want to cook the clam meat, perform the same step. Yet, you will need to boil the razor clams so it can be easier to remove the shells.

Related: A step-by-step guide to storing razor clams

Step 2: Stir-Fry the Ingredients

While waiting for the washed razor clams to drain off the excess water, you can prepare the aromatics. The ingredients may differ depending on your taste. However, if you plan to stir-fry razor clams in a Chinese style, you will need the following ingredients:

• Vegetable oil
• Minced garlic
• Minced ginger
• Red chili pepper
• Shaoxing wine
• Soy sauce
• Sugar
• Pepper
• Green onions
• Cornstarch
• Salt

After gathering all the ingredients, mix the Shaoxing wine, sugar, pepper, and soy sauce in a mixing bowl. Then, use another bowl to mix water and cornstarch to make a slurry.

Heat a skillet over high heat and add oil to coat it. Then, add ginger, garlic, and red chili pepper to stir-fry until fragrant.

Step 3: Add the Clams 

Add razor clams to the skillet and stir-fry for three minutes or until they turn opaque. After that, pour the Shaoxing wine mixture onto the razor clams and continue stir-frying for another two minutes.

Your stir-frying task doesn’t stop there. Remember the slurry you made earlier? It’s time to add it to the clams and stir-fry until the sauce thickens.

Finally, add green onions and stir-fry for the last 30 seconds. You can season the clams with a little salt before turning off the heat.

Now, your stir-fried razor clams are ready to eat. You can serve them with hot rice. That’s how Chinese people enjoy their meals.

Other Ways to Cook Razor Clams in Chinese Style

If you don’t like stir-fried razor clams or simply want to experiment with other recipes, this section will be what you are looking for. There are up to three recipes you want to try.

Chinese Steamed Razor Clams with Sizzling Garlic

Steaming is one of the most common methods for cooking seafood because it allows the food to retain its natural sweetness. The instructions for cooking Chinese steamed razor clams with sizzling garlic are as follows:

• Clean the razor clams.
• Prepare the sauce, which includes soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, Shaoxing wine, and pepper. 
• Prepare a big pot that can hold five bowls of water and a stream rack.
• Bring the pot to boil.
• Place the razor clams on the steamer plate.
• Pour the sauce over the clams.
• Steam for about five minutes.
• While the razor clams are steaming, stir-fry minced garlic with vegetable oil, scallions, and red chili pepper in a pan. This step only takes one minute.
• When the razor clams are ready, remove them from the steamer.
• Pour the sizzling garlic over the clams.

Chinese Steamed Razor Clams with Vermicelli Noodles

You also need to steam the razor clams in this recipe. However, vermicelli noodles will make it special. Here is how to cook it:

• Clean the razor clams thoroughly.
• Soak the vermicelli noodles in water for five minutes, then place them in a dish.
• Arrange your razor clams on the noodles.
• Saute minced garlic and distribute it on the razor clams.
• Add black beans on top.
• Steam the clams for three minutes over high heat.
• Make the sauce for your food by heating cooking oil, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine.
• Pour the sauce over the clams when they’ve done steaming.

Chinese Razor Clams Cooked in Black Bean Sauce

Black beans are another interesting ingredient to cook with razor clams. Please follow these steps to try:

• Make a sauce with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, water, pepper, and cornstarch.
• Heat a skillet, then add mashed, fermented black beans and stir fry for 30 seconds.
• Add vegetables to the skillet to stir fry.
• Add razor clams and stir fry for about two minutes.
• Pour the sauce over the clams and stir fry until the sauce thickens.

Chinese Sichuan Razor Clams

Sichuan peppercorns are a familiar ingredient in Chinese food. To cook razor clams with Sichuan, please take these steps:

• Heat the pan with oil.
• Add Sichuan peppercorns, chili, ginger, and garlic to the pan.
• Add onions and stir fry.
• Add razor clams.
• Add soy sauce, sugar, cooking wine, and stir fry.
• Cover the pan with a lid for about three minutes.
• Remove the lid and add coriander to the clams.

Tips for Cooking Razor Clams

The tips below will help you maximize the flavor of your razor clams:

• Cook the clams quickly. The average cooking time of this seafood in most recipes is only a few minutes.
• Use high heat for cooking razor clams. Then, they can remain tender and flavorful.
• Add flavorful ingredients to enhance the taste of food.
• Razor clams are already delicious, so you should only pair them with simple food like noodles or rice.

Tips for Cooking Chinese Food

Chinese people cook their food in a unique way. Bear in mind these tips, and you can achieve the same flavor:

• There are many ingredients in a recipe. Hence, you need to prepare them in advance. The preparation task only involves chopping, dicing, or mincing.
• Use a big skillet with a flat bottom. It will help you handle many Chinese recipes.
• Keep the heat high and consistent while cooking.
• Shaoxing wine is very popular in Chinese cooking, especially in stir-fries and marinades. So keep it in your kitchen to elevate the flavor of your food.

Conclusion

By following our Chinese razor clam recipe, you can enjoy the slightly spicy taste of the sauce when mixed with the fresh, sweet flavor of the clams. Remember to prepare a big bowl of rice to bring out the best of your dish.

There are also many other ways to cook razor clams in a Chinese style. Feel free to experiment and pick your favorite.

Thank you for reading!

Print Pin

Chinese Razor Clam

Stir-frying razor clams with aromatics is a straightforward method. This summary table will help you picture the steps to take to prepare this dish.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword aromatic, quick and easy, simply, slightly spicy taste, Summer, tender

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 3

Calories 219kcal

Equipment

• 1 skillet

Ingredients

• 1 pound razor clams
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 red chili pepper
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 green onions
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• Pepper
• Salt

Instructions

• Scrub the shells gently with a brush.
• Soak the razor clams in salted water for about 20 minutes.
• Cut the clams length-wise.
• Remove the brown cells and dirt, and rinse the clams again.
• Optional: Boil the razor clams to easily remove the shells.
• Mix the Shaoxing wine, sugar, pepper, and soy sauce in a mixing bowl.
• Make a slurry by mixing cornstarch and water in another bowl.
• Heat a skillet and add oil.
• Add minced ginger, garlic, and red chili pepper to the skillet and stir-fry.
• Add razor clams to the skillet and stir-fry them.
• Pour the Shaoxing wine into the skillet and stir-fry.
• Add the slurry and stir-fry.
• Add green onions and season the clams with salt.
• Enjoy your food!

Notes

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

• Calories: 219
• Total Fat: 10.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Cholesterol: 51 mg
• Sodium: 1163 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 9.6 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
  • Total Sugars: 0.5 g
• Protein: 20.3 g