Spicy and Sweet Cockle Salad (Ggomakmuchim) – A Rice Thief!
Make Delicious Cockle Salad Easily – Your Ultimate Rice Companion!
This cockle salad is so incredibly delicious that it can easily make a meal on its own! It’s one of those side dishes that I absolutely adore. Plus, the fun of gently extracting each juicy cockle from its shell makes it a delightful culinary experience. I love cockle salad so much that I always buy them whenever they’re in season to make this dish. Today, I’ll share my foolproof method for cooking cockles perfectly and making a mouthwatering cockle salad that you can easily recreate at home!
Essential Ingredients
- 1kg Fresh Cockles
- 2 Tbsp Coarse Sea Salt (for purging)
Perfect Seasoning Mix Ingredients
- 8 Tbsp Soy Sauce (Sempio or similar)
- 2 Tbsp Finely Chopped Scallions
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Oligodang (or Corn Syrup)
- 1/2 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes, fine)
- 1 tsp Salt (for taste adjustment)
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
- 8 Tbsp Soy Sauce (Sempio or similar)
- 2 Tbsp Finely Chopped Scallions
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Oligodang (or Corn Syrup)
- 1/2 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes, fine)
- 1 tsp Salt (for taste adjustment)
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, we’ll purge the cockles to remove any grit or sand. Fill a bowl with enough cold water to completely submerge the cockles. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt in the water to create a saltwater solution. Place the cockles in the saltwater and cover the bowl with a black plastic bag. This darkness mimics their natural environment and encourages them to expel impurities. Let them purge for at least 2 hours, or even half a day if you have the time.
Step 2
After purging, rinse the cockles thoroughly under running cold water several times. Rubbing the cockles against each other gently while rinsing helps to remove any remaining dirt or grit from their shells. Once clean, transfer the cockles to a pot and add just enough water to cover them, preparing to boil.
Step 3
While the cockles are cooking, let’s prepare the star of our dish: the seasoning sauce! In a mixing bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of finely chopped scallions, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, and 1/2 tablespoon of fine gochugaru (Korean chili flakes).
Step 4
Next, add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon of oligodang (for sweetness), 8 tablespoons of soy sauce (for that savory depth), and finally, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil for its fragrant aroma. Mix everything together well. This simple combination creates our delicious and flavorful cockle salad seasoning.
Step 5
Now, let’s boil the cockles! Once the water in the pot comes to a rolling boil, add the cockles. As soon as a few cockles begin to open their shells, continue to boil for just one more minute, then immediately turn off the heat. Boiling them for too long can make the cockles tough. Quickly remove the cockles from the hot water and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool them down.
Step 6
It’s time to separate the cockle meat from the shells. You’ll notice that when the cockles are cooked, the meat will be attached to only one half of the shell. Gently detach the meat, keeping it on one shell, and discard the empty half of the shell.
Step 7
Arrange the separated cockle meats neatly in your serving container or bento box. To ensure the seasoning is evenly distributed, it’s best to lay the cockle meats in a single layer without too much overlapping. This allows the flavors to penetrate properly.
Step 8
Pour the prepared seasoning sauce evenly over the arranged cockle meats. Make sure not to use too much or too little sauce; aim for a coating that evenly covers all the cockles.
Step 9
If you have a large batch of cockles, you can layer them: place some cockles down, spoon on some sauce, then add more cockles, and top with more sauce. Repeating this layering process helps distribute the seasoning beautifully. Once assembled, cover the container and refrigerate. Chilled cockle salad is incredibly refreshing and delicious!