How to Cook a Geoduck
It not only doesn't taste like chicken, it's not even poultry. Learn how to cook a geoduck, a large clam
- By Sarah Zielinski
- Smithsonian.com, March 01, 2009, Subscribe
What is a geoduck? Don't feel bad if you've never heard of the large clam before. Outside of the Pacific Northwest, where they grow, and Asia, where they've become a delicacy, the place most people are likely to see one may be on television.
The geoduck (Panopea abrupta), called the elephant trunk clam in Chinese, is a large bivalve characterized by a body encased by two shells and a long neck called a siphon. They can grow up to 14 pounds and a meter long, but most are harvested at about one to two pounds. The majority is shipped to Asia where they get served up in Chinese hotpots or as sushi or sashimi in Japan, where they are called mirugai.
Though they may be a rare find in the American supermarket, what if you manage to find someplace that sells live geoduck? Look for clams with siphons that appear fresh, plump and firm. Some people prefer to eat geoducks with pale necks, but color doesn't influence taste.
Like other clam species, live geoducks can be stored safely in the refrigerator for several days, tucked into the coldest part (though not the freezer) and wrapped in a damp cloth.
To prepare the geoduck for cooking, start by inserting a paring knife between the shell and the body at the base of the neck. Then, to separate the shell from the body, run the knife along the edge of the shell, being careful to cut through the adductor muscles that keep the shell and body connected. The stomach, which is dark, oval-shaped, and about the size of an egg, should be removed and discarded.
A tough skin encases the neck and body, but it can be removed by either quickly boiling the clam meat or running it under hot tap water until the skin begins to bubble. When it's ready, the skin should peel off easily.
There are a variety of ways to cook geoduck. It can easily be blanched, stir-fried or cooked up in chowder. However, "you don't want to overcook them or they get too tough," says Roy Ewen, who has been a recreational geoduck digger for more than 50 years. His wife, Linda, grinds up the siphon meat for fritters or patties and mixes it with horse clams for chowder. The more tender body meat will get sliced into thin strips and then breaded and fried, like other clam meat.
"We just keep it simple here," Linda Ewen says. But more adventurous cooks can find recipes for geoduck ceviche, carpaccio and scalloppine with a quick Internet search.
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Comments (7)
They are readily available in New York's Chinatown. I just bought one and hunting for cooking methods...
Posted by David on April 22,2012 | 06:11 PM
The husband and I got to finally try geoduck as a sushi appetizer, while vacationing in Vancouver, following a transpacific cruise from Japan.
It was expensive but fabulous tasting. The meat was extremely sweet, not at all fishy tasting in any way. Would gladly eat it again.
Posted by Jeri Miranda on December 22,2009 | 09:15 PM
How can one living in the Northeast (Maine) acquire geoduck? Thanks in advance.
Posted by Mike Lajoie on December 11,2009 | 01:39 PM
I dip em boiling water for 20 seconds or so and them clean them
Posted by on June 27,2009 | 06:21 PM
I just dug up 3 today since we had very low tides in the Olympia, WA area. Sadly mine are pretty small - though they were a good 2.5 feet down still. Small for a geoduck but still huge for any other clam such as the manilas that we like to steam. The only other time I've seen digging for geoducks was about 25 years ago when I was 4. I'm thinking I'll make them into fritters like I do with razor clams. I think I'll try a super quick dunk in boiling water to get the shells off rather than cutting. Well, here goes the gross part...
Posted by Anthony on June 25,2009 | 08:15 PM
I found the article about geoducks in the March issue of Smithsonian most interesting. I'd never heard of them before, much less how to pronounce the name. Unfortunately, I live in NY and don't expect to sample any, but I'll be on the lookout in Japanese restaurants.
Posted by carol benardos on June 13,2009 | 02:38 PM
This is really wierd! who would beleive that it would taste like chicken
Posted by SL on March 3,2009 | 12:19 PM