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–+ servings

Japanese Clam Miso Soup (Asari no Miso Shiru)

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Soaking Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients 
 

For the Clams (Purge and Salt Off)

  • 450 g clams such as Manila clams
  • 450 ml water for purging
  • salt for purging, 3% of the water weight

For the Soup

Instructions 

  • Rinse 450 g clams under running water, rubbing the shells together gently so you do not chip them. Discard any clam with a cracked shell, and any that gapes open and does not close when you tap it.
    Fresh manila clams in a steel sieve over a mixing bowl
  • Spread the clams a single layer deep in a flat dish, water just below the shell tops. Dissolve salt at 3 percent of the water weight. Cover to darken, then leave at 20°C (68°F) for 1 hour to purge the sand. Do not refrigerate unless the room is above 25°C (77°F).
    manila clams soaking in salt water to purge salt
  • Optional: At the same time, soak 5 g dried kelp (kombu) in 1100 ml water in a separate bowl and leave it there for now.
    two pieces of dried kelp (kombu) soaking in water to make kombu dashi for asari miso soup
  • After purging, lift the clams out of the brine and rest them in a strainer for 30 minutes so they expel the excess salt. Discard any that open during this time.
    washed manila clams in a sieve over a mixing bowl
  • Tip the clams into a pot, add 4 tbsp sake, and set over medium heat. Boil uncovered for 30 seconds, then cover and steam for about 5 minutes until the shells open. Discard any that stay shut, then lift the clams out.
    manila clams with sake in a saucepan on the stove top
  • Pour the kombu dashi (or water if skipped) into the pot, and heat over medium-low. When small bubbles form at the edge, lift the kombu out. Bring the pot to just below a boil and skim off any scum that floats to the surface.
    clam stock and kombu dashi combined in a saucepan on the stove top
  • Return the clams to the pot and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, dissolve in 3 tbsp yellow miso paste (awase) first, taste, and add more if needed.
    adding miso using a mesh miso strainer to asari miso soup in a saucepan
    • Use a mesh strainer to add the miso, stirring vigorously to break any lumps. If you don't have a strainer, mix the miso with a few tsp of hot broth until smooth and loose, before pouring it into the pot.
  • Ladle the soup into serving bowls and scatter over the chopped green onion. Enjoy!
    Asari miso soup topped with chopped green onions in a black bowl on a white background

Notes

Do not rush the sand purge: A single gritty clam and the whole bowl is ruined. Give the clams their full soak in the dark brine so they spit out every last grain of sand.
Throw out clams that stay shut: A clam that will not open after cooking is almost always dead, so bin it and never pry it apart. Before cooking, also drop any clam that gapes open or has a cracked shell.
Add the miso off the heat: Boiling drives the miso aroma straight out of the pot. Stir it in once the pot is off the burner, and keep it below a boil even when you reheat leftovers.
Start with less miso: Clams carry their own salt, so dissolve 3 tbsp first, taste, then add more only if it needs it. Skipping the salting-off step earlier makes the soup lean salty.