昨日、テレビ番組でシジミは冷凍でき、また冷凍すると旨み成分が増えると知りました。そこで、今日、買い物に行った時に、シジミを１パック買ってしまいました。
In Japan, shijimi are a common ingredient of miso soup. It is said that they are good for the liver, and are a cure for a hangover.
日本では、シジミは味噌汁のよく入れます。肝臓に良いと言われ、また二日酔いを治すとも言われています。
Having now tasted the frozen ones - do you agree that freezing increased the umami?
ReplyDeleteNancy Heller: I was unable to tell any difference in taste. I think I should make a side-by-side comparison to discern any difference in umami components. Besides, I just froze the shijimi for only about four hours.
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ReplyDeleteDo you have to wash the clams before you freeze them? Or do you just freeze the entire package, as is? Also, when you want to use the frozen clams for miso soup. do you have to let them thaw or do you just add them to the soup? Thanks!
David: Thanks for your compliment!
ReplyDeleteFirst, put the shijimi in a bowl, and wash them under running water by rubbing them together. Then, remove sand from the shijimi (although I omitted this step). To do this, make a 1% salt solution in flat-bottom container, and soak the shimiji in it for 3-5 hours, making sure that the shijimi do not overlap with others and that the solution does not fully cover the shijimi so as not to suffocate them.
When making shijimi miso soup, simply put the frozen shimiji in a pot of cold water, add some instant dashi, bring to a boil, keep simmering for some time until they are open, turn off the heat, and add some miso.
Removing sand from clams is called suna nuki (sand removal) in Japanese. If you want to be meticulous, place a flat-bottom colander in a flat-bottom container, place the shijimi in the colander, and add a 1% salt solution, making sure that the shijimi do not overlap with others and that the solution does not fully cover the shijime so as not to suffocate them. This way, you can be sure that the shijimi do not take in the sand they have spat out.
Visit the website below, and view the first two photos, and you will see what I have just described.
htp://marron-dietrecipe.com/washoku/washoku_sijimisunanuki.html
Note: To remove sand from asari (short-necked clams), use a 3% salt solution.