Cockle Bibimbap? 9 Tasty Dishes Starring The Now-Trendy Bivalve

Cockles have emerged the unlikely “it” food in this year’s General Election, thanks to Jamus Lim from the Workers’ Party and his now-famous (if overly repeated) catchphrase “warms the cockles of my heart”. Cockle T-shirts, cockle memes, cockle everything have been inundating our social media feed the past week. If you’re not jaded by the petite mollusc by now, here are nine cockle dishes worth trying.

Think of this as a refreshing Korean-style rojak. Boiled cockles are tossed with pear sticks, cucumbers, carrots, onions, chives, and smothered in a super spicy gojuchang (chilli bean paste) sauce. Even though they use frozen cockles from Korea, the shellfish is plump and springy, contrasting beautifully with the crunch of the juicy Chinese pear and raw vegetables. Every bite is a party in the mouth.

#01-114 Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Blvd, S039596. Tel: 6873-6441. Open weekdays 11am-3pm & 5pm-10pm; weekends 11am-10pm. https://sbcd.com.sg/menu/

If you like Thai mango salad, this will be right up your alley. Crisp green mango, long beans, fresh cockles and vermicelli are infused with a spicy and tangy dressing to create an appetite-whetting starter. The flavours are sharp and refreshing, and sure to kick your taste buds into high gear.

#01-51/52/66A Golden Mile Complex, 5001 Beach Rd. Tel: 6297-8498. Open 24 hours. http://nana.thai.restaurant/

Like Two Chefs’ (see below) but with more oomph, thanks to the Chinese wine the bivalves are marinated in. The juicy blood cockles are larger and plumper too. You won’t find this hidden gem on the menu, but ask and you shall receive. And you won’t be disappointed.

253 Outram Rd, S169049. Tel: 9790-5682. Open daily 5pm-11pm. https://longjizichar.getz.co/

Our favourite dish on this list. The Viet-style cockles are stir-fried with a generous dose of pork lard, garlic and chopped chillies, which made them fragrant and addictive — we found ourselves licking the spicy, garlicky sauce and caramelised garlic bits off the shells. Eating them can get a bit messy as the shells aren’t fully opened and you have to pry them apart, but so worth getting your hands dirty for.

3 outlets including #B2-29 Vivocity, S098585. Tel: 9644 0332. Open daily 11am-10pm. https://mrspho.com/

We’re not fans of tamarind but this dish from yet another Vietnamese restaurant was surprisingly good. Tangy, savoury and a little funky (the cockles were perhaps a little too bloody for our liking), the sauce hits all the right spots and then some. We recommend dipping the cockles in the zesty salt and pepper sauce served on the side for an extra pop of flavour.

#01-01 Leisure Food Space, Gemini At Sims, 2 Sims Close, S387298. Tel: 9696-7378. Open daily 11am-11pm. www.facebook.com/leisurefoodspace/

Did you know cockle bibimbap became a trending dish in Korea last year? At SBDC, boiled cockles are mixed with sliced garlic, chilli, gojuchang and sesame oil, then served with a side of rice and shredded seasoned seaweed. The sesame oil is a little overpowering when the cockles are eaten on their own, and can be quite jelak and greasy. But the dish as a whole proved a delicious harmony of flavours and textures when mixed thoroughly with the rice and crispy seaweed.

#01-114 Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Blvd, S039596. Tel: 6873-6441. Open weekdays 11am-3pm & 5pm-10pm, weekends 11am-10pm. https://sbcd.com.sg/menu/

Michelle Chong is a huge fan of these Teochew-style cockles from this elevated zi char restaurant in Capitol Piazza. Drenched in chilli and sesame oil, the plump and juicy raw cockles are topped with a piquant homemade chilli that complements it perfectly. Fiery, garlicky and shiok.

#02-28 Capitol Piazza, 13 Stamford Rd, S178905. Tel: 6881-6668. Open daily 11.30am-3pm; 6pm-10.30pm. www.thefamoustreasure.com/

Apart from their famous fish head curry, the sambal cockles are the signature dish at this popular cai png stall. The secret is in its savoury sambal, which is fried with plenty of dried shrimps and garlic. It’s aromatic, moreish, and the perfect accompaniment to rice. At $7, the soft, fresh cockles are a little bit on the pricey side, but at least they come shelled so you don’t have to get your hands dirty.

3 outlets including Blk 92 Lor 4 Toa Payoh, S310092. Tel: 6252 2168. Open daily 11am-3pm; 4.30pm-9pm. www.oceancurryfishhead.com.sg.

This one is for fans of spring onions. Served raw and chilled, blood cockles are doused with soy sauce and topped with enough sliced chillies, spring onions and chopped garlic to scare vampires. Despite its name, there’s no alcohol in the starter, but it doesn’t make the gravy any less slurp-worthy. Our only complaint is that the see-hums are tiny. The cockles, which are from an overseas supplier, are currently unavailable due to a supply issue, so do call to check for availability first before heading down.

2 outlets including #01-129, 116 Commonwealth Crescent, S140116. Tel: 6472 5361. Open daily 11.30am-2.30pm; 5pm-11.30pm. https://www.facebook.com/TwoChefsEatingPlace/