# Geoduck - What about them?



## Callisto in NC (Mar 19, 2009)

So I'm watching Iron Chef America and I have to wonder, who ever decided geoduck was edible and I'm wondering if anyone here has ever used it.


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## lindatooo (Mar 19, 2009)

You're right, they sure don't look edible!  They are commonly used in clam chowder and really very tasty!


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## Callisto in NC (Mar 19, 2009)

Why/who changed my title of the thread?


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## Katie H (Mar 19, 2009)

I did to give you more exposure and more replies.


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## Callisto in NC (Mar 19, 2009)

Katie E said:


> I did to give you more exposure and more replies.


Okay ~ makes sense.  I just thought I might have done something wrong.


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## Katie H (Mar 19, 2009)

No, you didn't do anything wrong, but a one word title doesn't really tell the whole story.  Sometimes a title needs to be reworded or embellished to get the response you are looking for.  That's one of the things admins and mods take care of.


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## Callisto in NC (Mar 19, 2009)

Thanks Katie ~ this item fastinates me so I would love to know if others have ever used it.  I see it alot on the food network.


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## Andy M. (Mar 19, 2009)

We are watching  IC too.  SO freaked when she saw the geoduck!  Had no idea they existed and was NOT interested in trying it.

I never have as I am allergic to clams.


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## Callisto in NC (Mar 19, 2009)

I would definitely want to try it and then be told what I ate.  If I knew I was eating it, I just couldn't do it.  I love clam chowder, all kinds I've tasted so far, so I'd probably like it but if I saw it first, it would ruin the experience.


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## BreezyCooking (Mar 20, 2009)

Try to catch Anthony Bordain's "No Reservations" episode - "Pacific Northwest".  There's a terrific segment where he helps dig up some Geoduck & then gets to dine on several different prep methods (raw, sauteed, etc., etc.) right on the beach.  Really interesting.

Also, there are several Pacific coast seafood purveyors that will ship them to you during certain times of the year.  "Catalina" is one of them.


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## kitchenelf (Mar 20, 2009)

My husband eats them at one sushi bar that has them.  Actually, only one comes in at a time.  If anyone has a weak stomach I suggest you quit reading at this point...remember, I gave you fair warning!!!!!!



Warning #2!!!!!!!!!


Fine...............





This animal comes in alive and thin slices are shaved off and served sashimi style.  Once the animal dies it may not be eaten anymore.  I tried it once - don't care for the texture...as far as flavor I don't really remember it being yummy good .  It's got a crunch to it much like cartiledge...that party I don't like!!!


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## Cooksie (Mar 20, 2009)

I just figured out that this discussion is about gooey duck clams.  I have learned something new today! Anyway, I would try the geoducks. I'm pretty adventuresome when it comes to eating. Just think where we would be if no one had ever tried a raw oyster on the half shell.


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## Callisto in NC (Mar 20, 2009)

Cooksie said:


> I just figured out that this discussion is about gooey duck clams.  I have learned something new today! Anyway, I would try the geoducks. I'm pretty adventuresome when it comes to eating. Just think where we would be if no one had ever tried a raw oyster on the half shell.


Sorry ~ I just couldn't bring myself to post a picture.


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## Zereh (Mar 21, 2009)

Goooo-ey goeduck! It's a Seattle / West Coast thing or so I'm told ...  It's like a snail x 100002. 

/gulps

Razor clams I can do! I will even help you dig 'em up. But I have not been adventurous enough to do the others. At least not yet ...


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## Zereh (Mar 21, 2009)

But oy oy! Oysters I love. Anthony's on Pier 66, Matt's Oyster House at Redmond TownCenter, Crab Pot Happy Hour, 0/8 at the Bellevue Hyatt, Swan's in Portland, and my favorite Pike's Place fish monger~ City Fish!!! /cheers JD 

Even those that our friend J-Money (ok ok, Justin) digs up from his Mom's place over at Hood Canal. 

Once you start you can't stop!


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## Callisto in NC (Mar 21, 2009)

Well, Bobby Flay did a Throwdown with a guy who made clam chowder and it was in Boston and the guy Bobby challenged used geoduck that he had caught fresh, so I don't know if it's a east coast / west coast thing or just a coastal thing.


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## qmax (Mar 21, 2009)

Geoduck are tasty.  Our favorite sushi bar has them frequently.  If they are available I always order some.  And they do make good chowder.

Never known a female that didn't gasp the first time she saw one.


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## Cooksie (Mar 21, 2009)

Callisto in NC said:


> Well, Bobby Flay did a Throwdown with a guy who made clam chowder and it was in Boston and the guy Bobby challenged used geoduck that he had caught fresh, so I don't know if it's a east coast / west coast thing or just a coastal thing.


 
That was one of my favorite Throwdowns.  The young guy was a surfer, and he was quite funny.  He seemed truly shocked when Bobby and party showed up.  He said Bobby looked like Darth Vader pulling up in that big black pickup with the dark tinted windows.


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## BreezyCooking (Mar 21, 2009)

Callisto in NC said:


> Well, Bobby Flay did a Throwdown with a guy who made clam chowder and it was in Boston and the guy Bobby challenged used geoduck that he had caught fresh, so I don't know if it's a east coast / west coast thing or just a coastal thing.


 
Absolutely WASN'T a Geoduck, even if the guy said so. Geoducks are strictly a Pacific coast inhabitant. If the guy said that he caught them fresh himself, what he caught were "Surf Clams", which resemble a mid-way point between Steamer/Soft-Shell clams & Geoducks. While shaped like soft-shells, their shell is hard & measures approx. 6"-8" long at maturity (Geoducks can reach over a foot in length). As kids we used to collect the empty shells that washed up on the east-coast ocean beaches & our parents used them as ashtrays.

They're commercially harvested & used not only in chowder, but also in the ever-popular "breaded fried clam strips" in your grocer's freezer section.

However, they're definitely not Geoducks.


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## SharonT (Mar 21, 2009)

So, 'geoduck' is the plural form of the word also?


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## qmax (Mar 21, 2009)

For your viewing pleasure:

**Photo removed due to copyright laws - Kitchenelf


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## Callisto in NC (Mar 21, 2009)

I specifically chose not to include a picture for a good reason.


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## Alix (Mar 21, 2009)

EWWW! That is one big clam. I can say that I would not want to eat that. Are they all that big?


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## mbasiszta (Mar 21, 2009)

That looks a lot like "Mirugai"? Is it the same thing. It is called a horse neck clam in most Sushi restaurants. It is magnificent. I love all clams, raw, but Mirugai is my favorite. Tell me true: is it the same clam species?


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## qmax (Mar 21, 2009)

mbasiszta said:


> That looks a lot like "Mirugai"? Is it the same thing. It is called a horse neck clam in most Sushi restaurants. It is magnificent. I love all clams, raw, but Mirugai is my favorite. Tell me true: is it the same clam species?




Mirugai is geoduck.


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## mbasiszta (Mar 21, 2009)

qmax said:


> Mirugai is geoduck.


There you go. Thought so. They are delicious. Would I find them do you think in the Pacific Beaches of Central America?


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## SharonT (Mar 21, 2009)

Looks like it should be called elephant trunk clam.   

Is the plural form of "geoduck" the same as the singular?   Some are typing "geoducks" but title of post implies "geoduck" is plural


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## Callisto in NC (Mar 21, 2009)

SharonT said:


> Is the plural form of "geoduck" the same as the singular?   Some are typing "geoducks" but title of post implies "geoduck" is plural


I don't think it matters how it's said.  I started the thread but a mod changed it.  The grammatical of the plural wasn't exactly considered at that point.  Technically, I would say that geoduck is the name portion of clam/clams.  It's a geoduck clam or geoduck clams.  Sort of like penne pasta.  Penne is the type of pasta.


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## mbasiszta (Mar 21, 2009)

SharonT said:


> Looks like it should be called elephant trunk clam.
> . . . .l


Sharon, you are brilliant: 
"when translated literally from the Chinese characters, this clam is called the elephant trunk clam". Congrats


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## mbasiszta (Mar 21, 2009)

Callisto in NC said:


> I don't think it matters how it's said. I started the thread but a mod changed it. The grammatical of the plural wasn't exactly considered at that point. Technically, I would say that geoduck is the name portion of clam/clams. It's a geoduck clam or geoduck clams. Sort of like penne pasta. Penne is the type of pasta.


Yeah, yeah, yeah, but am I going to find them in Pacific Beaches in Central America?  I love these suckers, raw, a la sushi!


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## qmax (Mar 21, 2009)

mbasiszta said:


> There you go. Thought so. They are delicious. Would I find them do you think in the Pacific Beaches of Central America?




They are indigenous to the Pacific Northwest.


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## mbasiszta (Mar 21, 2009)

Shucks = so they must prefer the cold water up north. Darn. Thanks.


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