Geoduck Clam

Geoduck Clam

[Mirugai (Japan), Giant Clam (U.S. sushi bars), Elephant Trunk Clam (China), King Clam (U.S. marketing), Goiduck, Gweduck, Panopea abrupta]

The Geoduck is the largest burrowing clam in the world. Individuals weighing 15 pounds are recorded and bigger ones rumored but the photo specimen is a normal market size of 2.2 pounds and 12 inches total length (5 inch shell). They are long lived with a record age of 168 years.

This clam is found only on the West Coast of North America from Washington State north through southern Alaska and from the tidal zone to 350 feet deep. The name comes from the Nisqually Indian "gwe-duk" ("dig-deep") and the strange spelling is thought to have been a transcription error.

Geoduck harvesting is tightly controlled both in the U.S. and Canada to assure sustainability. Most of the commercial harvest is sent to Japan and China where it fetches a fine price and that maket keeps it expensive here. Some much smaller Panopea species are found off Japan, China and New Zealand. New Zealand has apparently adopted the geoduck name for theirs.

Bivalves

1. Ready to go.

2. Removing the shell.

3a. Shell Removed.

3b. Visceral mass removed.

4a. Loosening skin.

4b. Peeling skin.

The 2.2 pound photo specimen clam was purchased live from an Asian market in San Gabriel, California for US $31.20 at $13.99 per pound. Edible yield was 1# 2oz (51%) for a cost of $31 per edible pound. This may seem expensive but compared to a lot of other shellfish it's not - do the math.

In sushi bars the siphons are sliced and served raw as "Mirugai" (or "Giant Clam" in the U.S.). The texture is mildly crunchy and the flavor is pleasing and "oceany". The siphons are sliced and cooked in stir fries and in hot pots in China.

In Asia the body section is usually discarded. This makes the price twice as high - but in Asia a very high price is often the most important feature for "100 times enjoyment".

In the U.S. the body is also used, particularly for chowders. The body flesh is more tender and has a somewhat different flavor but it's certainly not something you want to throw out.

As with other molusks geoduck toughens with overcooking. If you've sliced it thin just a few seconds in boiling water will be sufficient, a little longer if it is sliced thicker.

Preparing Geoduck

Presumably your duck has been in the fridge for some hours and will be even more sluggish than its usual sluggishness - it's not easy to tell if these guys are dead or alive. Give him a light scrubbing with a brush under cold running water.

Use a small knife and scrape it along the inside of the shell to free the duck from it. There won't be much resistance and the shell should peel away easily. There are adductor muscles at the top and bottom ends of the shell but they aren't large and aren't very tough as befits a clam that can't actually close its shell.

You should now have a shell with almost no flesh on it and a clam with no shell. Next pull out and discard the "visceral mass", consisting of gills, an egg shaped stomach and what little awareness a geoduck has. This all pulls out easily by hand. Pull off any loose materials around the body and you're ready to skin your duck.

Heat sufficient water to completely cover the duck just hot enough so you can keep your fingers in it for only a second or two. Dump in the duck and let him sit for about 30 to 45 seconds. You should now be able to peel the skin off starting with the body where the open side of the shell was and continuing right off the end of the siphon.

Now you can slice and dice as you feel appropriate. A traditional method is to cut the siphon from the body, then cut it in half lengthwise cutting so both siphon passages are split in half. Then the siphon would be sliced very thin at an angle and the body diced small for chowder.

Cross sections through siphon and body, after skinning and both about 1-1/2 inch from where the siphon and body join.