Spicy & Tangy Cockle Salad (Ppicomak Muchim)
Homemade Spicy and Tangy Cockle Salad! Delicious mixed with rice or as a makgeolli snack!
Boiling cockles makes them open up naturally, allowing the meat to be easily extracted. This recipe features Ppicomak (a type of clam) mixed with fragrant crown daisy, various crisp vegetables, and sweet, crunchy pear. It’s a delightful salad that pairs wonderfully with rice or as a savory accompaniment to makgeolli.
Main Ingredients
- 2 cups Cockle meat (Ppicomak)
- 1 Bell pepper (use various colors for visual appeal)
- 1/4 Carrot
- 1/5 Radish (approx. 100g)
- 1/4 bunch Crown daisy (approx. 50g)
- 1/4 Pear
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the vegetables for the cockle salad. Wash and prepare the radish, carrot, crown daisy, and bell pepper. Using different colored bell peppers will make the dish visually more appealing.
Step 2
Julienne the prepared radish, carrot, and bell pepper into similar lengths. Uniformly cut ingredients ensure a pleasing appearance and harmonious texture when mixed.
Step 3
Trim the crown daisy stems to a suitable length and prepare the leaves. For added crunch, briefly soak the julienned vegetables in cold water and then drain them thoroughly. This step helps to keep the vegetables crisp.
Step 4
Peel, core, and julienne the pear, which will add sweetness and a refreshing flavor. It’s best to cut the pear to be crisp and not too mushy.
Step 5
Scrub the cockle shells thoroughly with a brush. Soaking them in lightly salted water for about 30 minutes helps to remove any silt or impurities. Bring a generous amount of water to a boil in a pot with a pinch of salt and 1 Tbsp of Cheongju. Once boiling, add the cockles and cook.
Step 6
The cockles are cooked when they start to open their shells. Boil for about 3-5 minutes, then immediately turn off the heat and drain them in a colander, leaving only the cockle meat. Be careful not to overcook, as they can become tough.
Step 7
Carefully extract the cockle meat and drain it well on a sieve. It’s important to remove excess water, as it can dilute the seasoning and make the salad taste bland.
Step 8
In a large bowl, combine all the julienned vegetables: radish, carrot, bell pepper, pear, and crown daisy.
Step 9
Add the minced garlic and chopped green onions generously. These ingredients will add depth of flavor to the dish.
Step 10
Add the drained cockle meat to the bowl. It’s best to let the cockle meat cool slightly before adding it to the vegetables, to prevent them from wilting too much from the heat.
Step 11
Now, let’s make the delicious seasoning. Start with 2 Tbsp of Gochujang and 2 Tbsp of Gochugaru as the base. To add a tangy and sweet flavor, mix in 2 Tbsp of vinegar, 1 Tbsp of sugar, and 1 tsp of rice syrup (or plum extract). The 1 Tbsp of Cheongju helps to eliminate any fishy smell from the cockles.
Step 12
Gently mix all the ingredients and seasonings together with your hands. It’s important to toss them carefully so as not to crush the vegetables. Finish with a drizzle of 1 tsp of sesame oil for a fragrant aroma. Your salad is now ready!
Step 13
Plate the finished cockle salad attractively and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. The harmonious blend of spicy, tangy, and sweet flavors makes this Ppicomak Muchim a true appetite stimulant, perfect for any meal!
