Ingredients
Clams
- 2 kglive clams
- in their shells
- coarse salt, for purging
- cold water
To serve
- 3 tablespoonssoy sauce
- 1 tablespoonrice vinegar
- 1 teaspoonsesame oil
- 1 teaspoongochugaru
- 2garlic cloves, crushed
- 1spring onion, sliced
- lemon or lime wedges
Equipment
- charcoal and a grill
- tongs
- a bowl for empty shells
Directions
- Discard any one that stays open. Discard any with a cracked or broken shell. Discard any that smells strongly of ammonia. Never gather wild shellfish during a closure.
- Put them in a bowl of cold salted water. Use about a tablespoon of salt per litre. Give them at least one full hour. Keep them somewhere cool and dark. Lift the clams out of the water. Never pour them out with the water.
- Use a stiff brush on the outside. Wait until the coals are covered in grey ash. Spread them out into an even bed. The heat should be strong and steady.
- Mix the soy sauce and rice vinegar. Add the sesame oil and gochugaru. Add the crushed garlic and spring onion. Set it aside for the flavours to settle. Grilling them is quick enough work. Lay the clams out on the grill.
- Set them flat side down if you can. That keeps the liquor inside as they open. Take each one off as it opens. Judging them takes real attention. Discard any that never open at all. Handling them takes real care. Use tongs rather than fingers. The liquor inside is boiling hot.
- Set them on a platter as they come off. Serve the dipping sauce alongside. Put a bowl out for the empty shells. Eating them is done in one mouthful. Lift the clam out from the shell.
- Dip the clam meat into the sauce. They must be eaten hot from the grill. Grill them to order in batches.
Technique
- Some stalls light the fire with a splash of petrol, which gives a fast fierce flame but is genuinely dangerous: petrol vapour ignites explosively rather than burning, can flash back to the container, and leaves fumes and residue on the food. The atlas records the practice as reported and does not describe how to do it; charcoal gives the same result safely.
- Live clams must close when tapped and any that stay open, have cracked shells or smell of ammonia should be discarded, as should any that stay shut after cooking; shellfish also accumulate biotoxins from algal blooms that cooking does not destroy, so buy monitored commercial shellfish rather than gathering during a closure.
- Clams live buried in sand and must be purged in cold salted water at roughly seawater salinity for at least an hour, then lifted out rather than poured, since pouring tips the settled sand back over them.
Substitutions
- Any live clams work, and mussels or scallops grill the same way.
- A gas grill or a heavy pan with a lid works where charcoal is not possible.
Variations
- Some stalls add a spoonful of cheese or butter to each opened shell.
- The dipping sauce varies from plain soy to heavily spiced.
- Scallops and mussels are grilled alongside the clams at the same stalls.
History
A Nampo and west-coast summer speciality, notoriously lit with a splash of petrol for a fast, fierce fire.
Frequently asked questions
What is Jogae Gui?
Jogae Gui is a street food from North Korea: clams grilled in their shells over an open flame at seaside stalls. A Nampo and west-coast summer speciality, notoriously lit with a splash of petrol for a fast, fierce fire.
How long does Jogae Gui take to make?
Jogae Gui takes 30 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Jogae Gui?
Yes, within limits. Any live clams work, and mussels or scallops grill the same way. A gas grill or a heavy pan with a lid works where charcoal is not possible.
What is the most important thing to get right in Jogae Gui?
Discard any one that stays open. Discard any with a cracked or broken shell. Discard any that smells strongly of ammonia. Never gather wild shellfish during a closure.
