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Korean Mussel Soup (Honghap Tang)

Looking for an easy and delicious way to liven up your next meal? Try making Korean mussel soup – Honghap Tang! This light and refreshing dish is made with fresh mussels, green onions, garlic, and salt, and is popular in Korea, especially as a side dish to Korean alcohol, soju. Follow the steps below to create your own delicious Korean mussel soup.

Boiling mussel soup in a black pot.

What is Korean Mussel Soup

Mussels are a type of shellfish that are commonly used in Korean cooking, especially in mussel soup or mussel stew. They are relatively cheap and easy to find, but they take a bit of effort to clean. During those periods between late fall and early spring, you will be able to enjoy the most delicious mussels in Korean soup.

Korean mussel soup (Honghap-Tang, 홍합탕) is light and refreshing. It is best known for its rich and flavorful milky broth. To make the mussel soup, fresh mussels are cooked with green onions, sliced garlic, and salt in water. This dish is one of the most popular side dishes to Korean alcohol, soju. 

Boiled mussel soup in a black pot. A small bowl of sliced chilies is on the top right corner.

My Best Cooking Tips

Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks for perfect Korean mussel soup.

  • You will need to buy mussels with shells to produce the broth and the soup. Frozen mussels especially without shells won’t work quite the same way in this recipe. The mussels I bought are below – fresh blue mussels from a seafood house.

Fresh blue mussels packaged in a bag.

  • One of the highlights of Korean mussel soup is its clean taste. To achieve this, mussels should be washed thoroughly, including removing the beards to maintain its flavor. More tips on cleaning will follow in the post below.
  • Instead of using minced garlic, use sliced garlic. You could also use a disposable filter bag to put all your aromatic vegetables so that it is easy to discard once all the flavor has come out. This will help with creating the soup that’s clear and smooth to swallow.
  • If you want to make the soup spicy, add some sliced chilies at the end. But don’t use Thai chilies as the flavor profile doesn’t mix well with this soup. Korean Cheongyang chili pepper (청양고추) would suit the best. That being said, I personally prefer this soup without any chili, so I can enjoy the mild, refreshing taste of the soup. Chilies can change the taste profile quite significantly, even with a small amount.

Picking out a mussel from the shell with chopsticks.

How to Clean Mussels

As I mentioned earlier, cleaning mussels is the most important step in making delicious, clean tasting soup. Read along for my suggestions.

1. Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from broken shells. Add the mussels to a large bowl and run cold water over them. Throw away any shells that are broken or are cracked, then rinse the mussels thoroughly.

Washing mussels in a stainless steel bowl over running water.

2. In running water, use another mussel shell to scrub the mussel shells clean of debris or seaweed. Be careful not to break the shells by using too much pressure while scrubbing. If there are any byssus threads (known as beards), grasp them firmly and pull towards the shell hinge until they come out.

A collage image of cleaning mussels.

3. Place all the cleaned mussels in a new bowl and rinse one more time with cold running water.

Cleaned mussels placed in a clear bowl on the bench.

How to Store Mussels

If you have some fresh mussels that have already been cleaned following the steps above but not needing them for this soup, I suggest you steam them and then freeze them in a vacuum-sealed bag. They are best used within 2 to 3 months.

Then, I sometimes add these to my instant ramen noodles to elaborate the flavor, and it goes wonderfully. You can also add in any other dishes of your choice.

Other Korean Soup Recipes You Might Like

Traditionally, bowls of soup and stew have been a staple of Korean cuisine. They’re typically served at every meal, so there’s an abundance of this type of food. Try some of the most popular Korean soup recipes from below!

Ingredients for Korean Mussel Soup

  • 1 kg / 35 ounces shelled mussels, cleaned
  • 1 green onion, white part 
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 7 cups water
  • 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • (Optional) chilies, green or red, thinly sliced and seeds removed, for garnish

* 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml

How To Make Korean Mussel Soup

1. In a large pot, add the mussels, green onions, garlic cloves, and water. Cook over medium-high heat until the mussels are fully cooked. (Mussels will open their shells once done. It takes 10 to 15 minutes. Discard any mussels that did not open.) Skim off any scum that forms.

A collage image of making mussel soup - boiling mussels in a pot.

2. Remove the green onion and garlic from the soup and add the white vinegar and salt.

Pouring the sauce over the mussel soup to season it.

3. Garnish the soup with chili peppers (optional), and serve it with steamed rice and other Korean side dishes. You can also serve this as a drinking snack with soju.

Mussel soup forming white bubbles in a black pot.

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Boiling mussel soup in a black pot.

Korean Mussel Stew (Honghap-Tang)

Korean mussel soup is a light, refreshing dish made with fresh mussels, green onions, garlic, and salt. It's popular in Korea, especially as a side dish to Korean alcohol, soju. Follow the steps below to create one!
Print Pin Rate Save
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: honghap tang, honghaptang, mussel soup, Mussel Stew
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 112kcal
Author: Sue Pressey

Ingredients

  • 1 kg shelled mussels (35 ounces), cleaned
  • 1 green onion , white part 
  • 1 garlic clove , thinly sliced
  • 7 cups water
  • 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • chilies (optional), green or red, thinly sliced and seeds removed, for garnish

Instructions

  • In a large pot, add the mussels, green onions, garlic cloves, and water. Cook over medium-high heat until the mussels are fully cooked. (Mussels will open their shells once done. It takes 10 to 15 minutes. Discard any mussels that did not open.) Skim off any scum that forms
  • Remove the green onion and garlic from the soup and add the white vinegar and salt.
  • Garnish the soup with chili peppers (optional), and serve it with steamed rice and other Korean side dishes. You can also serve this as a drinking snack with soju.

Notes

  • 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml

Nutrition Info (per serving)

Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 967mg | Potassium: 419mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 234IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 5mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Tried this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Rate this recipe with a comment below and tag me on Instagram @MyKoreanKitchen.

Written by: Sue

Published on:

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Welcome to my Korean kitchen! I’m so happy that you're here. I am Sue, the creator behind My Korean Kitchen (since 2006). I love good food and simplifying recipes. Here you will find my best and family approved recipes. Thanks for stopping by!

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