Manila clam (bajirak)

Bajirak is the Manila clam, listed by the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture under the older name Tapes philippinarum. It is a small, oval clam, about 4 cm long, with a lattice of fine ribs and growth lines across the shell. It lives along all of Korea's coasts but is especially abundant on the west coast, burrowing in sandy mud from the upper tidal flats down to about 5 m, and spawns in summer.

Coastal villagers have dug bajirak at low tide for generations, and in winter the same flats yield oysters and laver. According to the encyclopedia, clam farming began in 1912; because the young clams soon bury themselves rather than cling to collectors, they are raised by seeding shallow, managed beds and harvested later. Farmed and wild harvests together ran to tens of thousands of tonnes a year in the late 20th century, and the clams also became a raw material for canning.

In the kitchen bajirak are a broth maker. VisitKorea describes bajirak-kalguksu, knife-cut noodles boiled with zucchini and onion in a generous clam broth, as a dish once mostly eaten in the west-coast towns that produce the clams and now found all over the country. The clams also flavor other soups and stews, and they are salted as bajirak-jeot or simmered in soy sauce; the Korean Food Composition Table lists both, along with canned and dried bajirak.

• Lean protein with minerals: Bajirak supply about 12 g of protein per 100 g with very little fat, plus iron and magnesium.
• Naturally salty: Clams carry seawater, so the table lists close to 400 mg of sodium per 100 g before any seasoning; season clam broths lightly.
• Cook thoroughly: CDC links most vibriosis to raw or undercooked shellfish, and the FDA advises cooking clams until the shells open and throwing out any that stay shut.
• Low in mercury: Clams are on the FDA/EPA "Best Choices" list.
• Shellfish allergy: Clams are mollusks; people with shellfish allergy should ask an allergist whether to avoid them.