Geoduck. I wish it looked more like a duck, seriously. The process of cleaning and prepping this giant clam is probably what an alien dissection must be like. Its appearance resembles, well… I don’t need to get all explicit here, the photos tell the story pretty well… But let’s talk about the positive aspects of this ugly fellow, or the one aspect that makes this thing totally worth experiencing. It’s simply delicious. The price is ridiculous though. About $30 per pound, and they are around 3 pounds on average, but pretty good yield. One geoduck can make 5-6 appetizer size portions. Requires no cooking and no seasoning. A wonderful savory flavor and awesome texture.
Geoduck can be hard to find and can be seen on menus at some high-end restaurants. Here in Vancouver, I found live geoducks at the t&t supermarket which isn’t a surprise. If edible, they’ll have it. It’s an insane and wonderful place. Ok, my favorite cooking season of the year is here and this is probably not the right recipe to kick it off with but I work with what I have! There will be stews and roasts coming up soon for sure. Time for some geoduck action! (that just sounds wrong…)
Ingredients (6 appetizer servings):
1 live and fresh geoduck
1 bunch of green onions or chives
Shanti vinegar or tamari and rice vinegar
Chili oil
lemon juice
The preparation is rather simple. Just boil water in a big pot and ready up an ice bath. Plunge the geoduck in the boiling water for about 2 minutes. Remove with tongs. Plunge the geoduck in the ice water immediately. And it’s done. This is the simplest way to instantly kill the clam and loosen the tough skin that covers it. Crack the shell open, and using a sharp knife remove the clam from the shell. Pull the skin off. Here’s a video that shows the whole process if you’re interested.
You can slice the geoduck and plate it at this point. And that’s basically it!!. Until the next one!
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Well, I certainly have learned something totally new here! Not that I think I shall ever be able to buy ‘gooey duck’ [did watch the video 🙂 !] in country Australia, but I never ever knew such a fascinating clam existed in the world and even made great sashimi . . . and yes, it must be one of the most phallic foodstuffs I have ever seen !! Thanks you for the lesson !!!
hahah 🙂 you’re welcome! yeah, I first learned about this clam on an Top Chef episode, and since, I’ve been wanting to learn how to prepare it at home. So glad you found this article useful!
Totally new to me too … never heard … had to ask Google for help. I read that along Puget Sound’s shoreline in particular is great waters for them. Very interesting read about them, but I don’t know if I will order if I see it on the menu. Once again your images are so tasty and well excuted.
Oh my goodness! I’m sort of in shock. That had better taste damn good!
hahahah! it is pretty damn good! Agreed tho, it looks a bit shocking 🙂
This is beautiful and kind of bizarre at the same time. I bet it tastes amazing. I do love clams. I love the way you put a dish together.
Umm! I can’t believe you learned how to cook that!!! Amazing!!!!!!!
you can learn anything in the interwebs! thanks Lotis hahah
Welcome back, Paul! You’ve gone all exotic. First crocodile and now this! You certainly turned something ugly into something beautiful. I’ve never heard of this before, but will look for it when I visit the Pacific.
Stefan! glad you liked the post. It is a somewhat exotic ingredient, even around here, more common in Asian cuisine for sure. Take care!
Aaaaahhh!
Now I know what ミル貝 called in English…! One of my favorite clams on earth.
It’s looks sooo good 🙂
thank you Asuka! 🙂
I am lucky enough to live in Washington where they are plentiful. I’ve got lots of great memories of digging for them as a kid, although I wasn’t very fond of eating them back then. I haven’t eaten one in years, but after seeing this recipe you can be sure that I’ll be digging for one at the next -2+ tide so I can try it out. Thanks for posting it.
Hi Shelly! thanks for your awesome comment. That has to be amazing, being able to find your own, I wonder where they dig them out here
I have seen mirukai/geoduck in sushi shop’s table glass-case many times. I don’t eat them. But I must say, you are truly a chef.
you give me way too much credit Fae, thank you so much for your beautiful compliment!
You have been cooking up some exotic things in your kitchen lately that I wouldn’t find at my market in rural New Hampshire. Your presentations certainly could make the cover of any food magazine out there.
thank you Karen, that’s a very thoughtful compliment! and yeah, it’s been a strange last month in the kitchen, more experimental than usual, but I think I’ve learned some new things and feel I’ve gained a bit more experience in food pairing and new ingredients (new to me at least).
this post pissed me off, you know what, simply because i lived in the other part of the world where the geoduck comes from,
hence the price of live geoduck is rocket high to 320 USD for a Kilo here in Indonesia,
i once had it two years ago an it hosted by medical product representatives,
ps: now were all subjected to a gratification crimes (part of corruption) once were dining out with medical representatives if the bills paid of more than 100 USD and it’s considered unethical too
I’ve never had geoduck before until I came to Vancouver. It is so expensive even here! And it’s a local thing. I have to say, the yield is great and the taste and texture is unique and wonderful. I can’t imagine paying that much for anything a kilo like geoduck in Indonesia, that’s just insane!