Fish and Shellfish · Card SF05
Sweet Chili Glazed Cockles
Little cockles tossed in a wok until they pop open, then lacquered in a sticky sweet chili glaze with garlic, ginger and a hit of lime. Eat them with your fingers, sucking the sauce off each shell. A hawker-stall snack that pairs happily with cold beer and a stack of napkins.
- Prep
- 1 hr 15 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 1 hr 27 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Cuisine
- Malaysian
Method
Step 1: Cockles hold a lot of sand. Soak them in cold water with 3 tbsp salt for 1 hour, changing the water once, then scrub the shells under running water. Discard any that are cracked or open and will not close when tapped.
Step 2: Stir the sweet chili sauce, oyster sauce, sambal and lime juice together in a small bowl so the sauce is ready to go.
Step 3: Heat a wok over high heat until a drop of water skitters and vanishes. Add the oil, then the shallots, garlic and ginger, and stir-fry 30 to 45 seconds until they smell sharp and sweet but are not yet brown.
Step 4: Add the cockles and water, toss once, and cover. Steam 3 to 4 minutes, lifting the lid to toss every minute. As the cockles open, pull them into a bowl so they do not overcook.
Step 5: After 6 minutes total, discard any cockles that have not opened. Pour the sauce into the wok with the cooking juices and bubble for 1 minute.
Step 6: Stir the cornstarch slurry, add it, and cook about 30 seconds until the sauce turns glossy and clings to a spoon. Tip the cockles back in and toss until every shell is coated. Pile onto a plate and serve hot.
Kitchen note
Pulling cockles out the moment they open matters more than with mussels, because their small meats go from tender to chewy in less than a minute of extra heat.
Easy swap
Small Manila clams stand in well for cockles and need only about 30 minutes of soaking.
Filed nearby
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