Freakishly Clam - Geoduck

I mean, what on earth is a geoduck?! Objects resembling overgrown mutant tails lie flaccid on top of each other with a sign saying RM 198 per kilogram. I was mumbling, ‘those better be some tasty mutants’.

After my deep research on the internet, I found out that geoduck is the largest burrowing clam in the world. At maturity It’s weighing in at anywhere from one to three pounds. The appearance of geoduck's large, protruding siphon has led to the belief that the geoduck has the properties of an aphrodisiac. Bahaha…no comment thou!

Some people saying it tasted oceany. Well…with the image of the beast in my mind, my first bite was met with hesitation. But after trying it, I can honestly say as a seafood lover I felt like I had been missing out something awesome! I tried geoduck sashimi and geoduck ceviche and also the fritter in many different styles during this freakishly clam adventures. So, if you ever get the chance to taste it, please don’t pass up the opportunity. I bet you’ll be surprised how much you’ll enjoy it. If you are in KL, you can find geoduck in most of Chinese restaurant in PJ or Ampang.

Photo Credit to MandysCatchoftheDay

Here is some video to share  http://vimeo.com/13051868

As stated in http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/geoduck/, “The most impressive clam in the Pacific Northwest is the geoduck (Panopea generosa). The world's largest burrowing clam, the geoduck reaches an average size of 2.07 pounds (including the shell) in subtidal waters of Puget Sound (based on surveys of commercial beds before fishing). The average size of recreationally caught geoducks on intertidal public beaches in Puget Sound is 2.47 pounds. The largest geoduck ever weighed and verified by WDFW biologists was a 8.16-pound specimen dug near Adelma Beach in Discovery Bay in year 2000. Much larger specimens have been reported by commercial harvesters. Geoducks grow rapidly, generally reaching 1.5 pounds in three to five years. They attain their maximum size by about 15 years, and can live at least as long as 168 years.

They are extremely abundant in the inland waters of Puget Sound, British Columbia and Alaska, where the subtidal populations support important commercial fisheries. Their range extends from Alaska to Baja California, but they are rarely found along the Pacific coast, and populations are likewise scarce west of Clallam Bay in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Geoduck clams are found buried two to three feet deep in mud, sand, or gravel. The gaping, oblong shell is white with concentric rings, and generally has thin patches of flaky brown covering (periostracum) at the edges. The siphon and mantle are so large that they cannot be withdrawn into the shell.

Geoducks have been observed with underwater video cameras living as deep as 360 feet in Puget Sound, and the vast majority of the population is subtidal. They are not nearly as abundant intertidally, and sport diggers generally find them on beaches only at extreme low tides (lower than -2.0 feet). For this reason, most of the sport digging is restricted to less than 20 tides a year.

The clam's name, pronounced "gooey-duck" is of Native American origin and means "dig deep." It is variously spelled goeduck, goiduck, or gweduck.