Korean White Clam Clear Soup
Quick answer
Baekhap jogae tang is a clear Korean clam soup built entirely on the flavor of hard clams, with no additional stock of any kind.
What makes this special
- Broth built from a single ingredient, the hard clam, with no separate stock.
- Starting in cold water draws umami slowly from the surf clams into the broth
- One tablespoon of sake removes fishiness and leaves a clean finish
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Soak 500g surf clams in salt water (1L water, 1 tbsp salt) for at least 20 minutes.
- 2 Cut 120g radish into thin rectangles (nabak).
- 3 Add 1L water and the radish to a pot.
Baekhap jogae tang is a clear Korean clam soup built entirely on the flavor of hard clams, with no additional stock of any kind. The clams are soaked in salted water until fully purged of sand, then transferred to cold water in the pot and heated gradually. This slow climb from cold allows the clams to release their maximum flavor into the surrounding liquid before they even open, producing a more richly flavored broth than rapid boiling ever could. Daikon radish simmers in the same water, lending a cool, clean sweetness that tempers the clams inherent saltiness while absorbing broth flavor itself, softening into bite-sized pieces that are worth eating alongside the shellfish. A tablespoon of cheongju, Korean clear rice wine, is added early to neutralize any briny off-notes that might otherwise linger, leaving a cleaner, lighter finish. Garlic appears in small amounts only, deliberately restrained so it does not compete with the delicate shellfish flavor that is the whole point of the dish. Scallion and red chili are placed on top at the very end, contributing color and fragrance rather than direct seasoning. Salt is kept to an absolute minimum since the clam liquor itself provides all the salinity required. The soup is a lesson in simplicity: no anchovy, no kelp, no premade stock. The clams do all the work, and the result is a broth that is simultaneously light and deeply satisfying.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Soak 500g surf clams in salt water (1L water, 1 tbsp salt) for at least 20 minutes.
Scrub the shells clean and rinse.
- 2Prep
Cut 120g radish into thin rectangles (nabak).
Slice the green onion and 0.5 red chili on the diagonal.
- 3Control
Add 1L water and the radish to a pot.
Boil over medium heat for 7 minutes to dissolve the radish's clean sweetness into the base broth.
- 4Control
Add the clams and 1 tbsp cheongju.
Increase to medium-high heat and boil until the shells open. Cheongju cuts any fishy odor.
- 5Season
Skim off any foam that rises.
Season with 0.5 tbsp minced garlic and 0.5 tsp salt.
- 6Finish
Add green onion and red chili, simmer 1 minute more, then turn off the heat and serve immediately.
Prolonged cooking shrinks the clam meat.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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