Along with my mom's razor clam sushi that my brother brought back from Oregon, my mom also sent along a dozen frozen razor clams. Well, frozen to get them on the plane, but they were pretty fresh since my parents and brother had just dug them up on the coast the day before.
As you can tell, razor clams have very fragile shells.
Unlike the massive geoduck below. That shot was taken at the grocery store.
Preparation for both is the same. You'll need to cut them from their shells. Then slice off the nozzle part. There's two tubes, for want of a better word, and it's easiest to take a pair of scissors and cut all along its length. Then you can rinse the nozzle and meat and rid the clams of any sand.
Once the geoduck or razor clams are clean, you can use them in a variety of recipes such as:
Chao Oc (Vietnamese Rice Porridge with Clams)
Geoduck, Japanese Dynamite-Style
New England Clam Chowder
All Oregon posts can be found in the tag, Series: Oregon. I suggest reading this particular trip in this order:
I-5 From LA to Portland
Mom and Dad's Garden
Burgerville - Portland - Oregon
Hakatamon - Beaverton - Oregon
I Think I'll Go For a Walk Outside Now...
Vista Point - Oregon City
End of Oregon Trail Interpretive Center - Oregon City
Stevens-Crawford Heritage House - Oregon City
Museum of the Oregon Territory - Oregon City
Mom's Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Sizzling Crepes)
Blackberry Cobbler
Bonneville Lock and Dam - Cascade Locks - Oregon
Bonneville Hatchery - Cascade Locks - Oregon
Multnomah Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Horsetail Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Wahkeena Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Bridal Veil Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Historic Columbia River Highway - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Latourell Falls - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Crown Point Vista House - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Banh Cuon Tan Dinh - Portland - Oregon (Closed)
Downtown Portland - Oregon
Lan Su Chinese Garden (Portland Classical Chinese Garden) - Portland - Oregon
Powell's City of Books - Portland - Oregon
Mom's Geoduck, Dynamite-Style and Chao Oc (Vietnamese Rice Porridge with Clams)
How to Prepare Geoduck and Razor Clams
Geoduck, Japanese Dynamite-Style
Chao Oc (Vietnamese Rice Porridge with Clams)
Le Bistro Montage - Portland - Oregon
Kenny and Zuke's Delicatessen - Portland - Oregon
*****
1 year ago today, Weekend Wokking #1 (Asparagus).
2 years ago today, coffin bread, dumplings and other Taiwanese street food at Pa Pa Walk - San Gabriel.
Wow! I had never known that clams have such long nozzles!!! What do they do with them when they were alive?!
ReplyDeleteHere's a tip for cleaning geoducks: Remove the shells, then take the geoduck and put it in boiling water for no longer than 1 minute. You can then peel off the tough membrane covering the neck.
ReplyDeleteFor razor clams, use a regular table knife to remove the shells. The shells are razor sharp, hence their name.
Here's a link to a site that shows more on how to clean a razor clam: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/razorclm/razor9.htm
Ubermuc,
ReplyDeleteHaha. I have no idea. I love to eat them, but don't pay attention to parts of their anatomy.
Greggle,
Great tips. Thanks.