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Savor the bold flavors of Thai clams, one of my favorite spicy Thai recipes. This basil clam stir fry combines fresh clams with aromatic Thai basil and zesty spices, bringing an authentic taste of Thai cuisine straight to your kitchen.
Clam Stir Fry
One of my favorite spicy Thai recipes is basil clams, or spicy clam stir fry with Thai basil leaves. Called Hoy Lai Ped in Thai, this dish features roasted chili paste and translates to “spicy clams.” It’s a popular clam stir fry recipe in Thailand.
Thailand is blessed with abundant seafood, and clams are hugely popular. The Thai clams recipe is very easy to prepare and requires only a few key ingredients: “nam prik pao” (roasted chili paste), fresh basil leaves, and red chilies.
This is my favorite clam recipe now; I love its vibrant and bold flavors: fiery hot, exuberantly briny, and with a robust minty note from the Thai basil leaves, just like Thai basil chicken. It’s absolutely the best clam stir fry ever!
Looking for more clam recipes? Check out my Kam Heong Clams recipe!
Why You’ll Love Basil Clams
If you are a clam lover like me, you will absolutely love this Thai style fiery hot and richly aromatic spicy clams:
- Fresh Clams: Tender, succulent, and juicy, with a slightly sweet and briny taste.
- Bold Flavors: Spicy, savory, briny, with a hint of sweetness—need I say more?
- Intense Aromas: Fresh Thai basil and roasted chili paste add fantastic flavors and a powerful fragrance, making my mouth water every time I think of this clam stir-fry dish.
- Authentic Taste: I developed this recipe after trying numerous Hoy Lai Ped in Thailand. Enjoy a true Thai flavor right at home!
Ingredients For Spicy Thai Clams Recipe
This Thai spicy clams calls for the following ingredients:
- Fresh clams
- Roasted chili paste (nam prik pao)
- Thai basil leaves – in this recipe, you want to use Thai sweet or purple basil or bai horapa in Thai.
- Red chilies – I used a combination of red Thai chilies and regular red chili.
- Garlic
- Fish sauce
- Sweet soy sauce
- Sugar
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full details on each ingredient.
Shopping Guide: You can use various types of hard-shelled clams for this recipe, such as Manila clams, little neck clams, or cherry stone clams in the United States, or pipi or vongole clam if you are in Australia. In Asia, feel free to use any local hard-shelled clam species you prefer!
How To Make Thai Clams
Step 1: Clean and rinse the clams thoroughly, scrubbing their surfaces. Set aside.
Step 2: Heat a wok or skillet over high heat and add oil. Stir fry the garlic until aromatic, then add the Nam Prik Pao, bird’s eye chilies. Continue stirring for 1 minute or until you smell the spicy aroma.
Step 3: Add the clams to the wok or skillet and stir to combine with the other ingredients.
Step 4: Add the fish sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar, and Thai basil leaves. Stir quickly to mix everything well. Once all the clams are open, the dish is ready.
Step 5: Dish out and serve immediately with steamed white rice.
Cooking Tips For Home Cooks
- You can get Nam Prik Pao from Asian supermarkets or online. If you wanted to make it from scratch, please refer to She Simmers Nam Prik Pao recipe.
- Give the clams a good scrub under cold water to get rid of any grit. Soak them in salted water for about 20 minutes to help clean them out even more.
- Make sure your wok or skillet is hot before you add the oil. This helps give the clams a nice sear and brings out all the flavors.
- Make sure to keep the clams moving in the wok so they cook evenly and don’t stick or burn.
- Clams cook fast, so keep an eye on them. They’re ready when their shells open up. If you cook them too long, they might get tough.
- Discard unopened clams; they might be rotten or filled with sand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fresh clams are best, but if you only have frozen ones, that’s fine. Just thaw them before cooking. They might be a little different in texture, but they’ll still taste good.
Yes, you can use various types of clams like littleneck or cherry stone clams, but I prefer to use manila clams.
Fresh clams should have tightly closed shells. If you find any that are open, give them a little tap. If they don’t close up, toss them out. Also, fresh clams should smell like the sea, not fishy.
Clams cook super fast—usually in just 3-5 minutes. They’re ready when their shells open up. Just throw away any clams that stay closed after cooking.
This Thai clam recipe is only 188 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Thai Clams
For a homemade Thai style dinner at home, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Clam Recipes You Might Like
Thai Clams Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. (700g) clams
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons Nam Prik Pao, roasted Thai chili paste or chili jam
- 3 red Thai chilies or bird's eye chilies, pounded with a mortar and pestle or sliced into small pieces
- 1 red chili, sliced into pieces
- 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar , or to taste
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves, stems removed
Instructions
- Rinse the clams, soak them in salted water for 20-30 minutes, then scrub the shells with your hands or a brush. Rinse thoroughly under cold running water and discard any cracked or damaged clams.
- Heat a wok or skillet over high heat and add oil. Stir-fry the garlic until aromatic, then add the Nam Prik Pao, Thai chilies and red chili. Continue stirring for 1 minute or until you smell the spicy aroma.
- Add the clams to the wok or skillet and stir to combine with the other ingredients.
- Add the fish sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar, and Thai basil leaves. Stir quickly to mix everything well. Once all the clams are open, the dish is ready.
- Dish out and serve immediately with steamed white rice.
Video
Notes
- You can get Nam Prik Pao from Asian supermarkets or online. If you wanted to make it from scratch, please refer to She Simmers Nam Prik Pao recipe.
- Give the clams a good scrub under cold water to get rid of any grit. Soak them in salted water for about 20 minutes to help clean them out even more.
- Make sure your wok or skillet is hot before you add the oil. This helps give the clams a nice sear and brings out all the flavors.
- Make sure to keep the clams moving in the wok so they cook evenly and don’t stick or burn.
- Clams cook fast, so keep an eye on them. They’re ready when their shells open up. If you cook them too long, they might get tough.
- Discard unopened clams; they might be rotten or filled with sand.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
