Asari No Sumashijiru (Japanese Clam Soup)

There is something to be said about simplicity. A handful of ingredients - water, lemon, clams, salt and cilantro - combined in a basic preparation. The end result is a soup is a dining experience that transcends many of the dishes that I have had at a lot of fancy restaurants. 

This recipe - Asari No Sumashijiru - has made me rethink much of what I have thought about cooking. I spend a lot of time looking for recipes that incorporate a range of ingredients, utilize new cooking (and sometimes complex) cooking techniques, and produce some very delicious dishes (which, if my photography skills were a little better, would look as good as they taste). But this five ingredient dish, prepared simply by boiling the clams, turned everything on its head.

A sumashijiru is a simple, clear soup with certain specific components. There is the suiji, which is the stock (or water), and the wadane, which is the solid ingredient. There is also the tsuma, a garnish that adds color, and the suikuchi, a garnish that adds fragrance. 

Each particular component is clearly present in this recipe. The suiji is water, flavored by the solid ingredient or the wadane, which are asari (clams). The tsuma is the Japanese cilantro and the suikuchi is the use of lemon juice and zest.   

One additional note about the clams. The recipe called for manila clams, which resemble short-neck clams (or little neck clams). Little neck clams are the smallest type of clams that one will find either in grocery stores or in restaurants. 

However, I had middle-neck claims on hand when I made this recipe.  Middle neck clams are, as their name suggests, mid-sized clams. They are basically cherrystone clams. Generally speaking, I prefer middle-necks or cherrystone clams because of their size. In my humble opinion, they are the "Goldilocks" of clams, not too small so as to barely register when you bite into them and not too big so that they are too tough when you bite into them. In the end, I think the middle-neck clams worked as well as manila clams or little-neck clams. 

Whatever clams you have, or if you need clams (go out and get them), you should make this recipe. It is truly amazing how something so simple can be so profound.

ASARI NO SUMASHIJIRU (JAPANESE CLAM SOUP)

Recipe available at The Spruce Eats

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound manila clams
• 5 cups water
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 lemon, zested
• Mitsuba (wild Japanese cilantro), for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook the clams. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and add a bit of salt to the water (approximately 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt). Add fresh clams directly into the boiling water.  Cook until all the clams open. If there are any unopened clams, remove them from the pot and discard.

2. Finish the dish. While the clams are are cooking, zest the lemon using a microplane or a peeler.  Serve four to five clams in small soup bowls and pour broth over them. Garnish with lemon zest and Japanese parsley. Serve immediately. 

ENJOY!