fracas

Last week there was some confusion over whether or not the kohlraboobies featured would qualify as 1 or 2 of a person’s 5-a-day. To avoid confusion this week, I chose to feature some good old fashioned meat!

Indeed. The most prized part of this meat is the siphon, which may be eaten raw, consumed sashimi style with soy sauce and wasabi, or cooked up into a nice Chinese hot pot soup.

I can hear many of you now. Ouch?

What about grinding up this meat to the consistency of hamburger. Mix it with equal parts crumbs and an egg or two and make patties! Saute or grill and you’ve got one heck of a burger!

Now that I’ve got your attention, please take a deep breath and relax. Would I steer you wrong?

Come now.

Today’s food porn is none other than the Geoduck Clam. Pronounced gooey-duck or gwee-duck, it’s a species of large saltwater clam (Panope generosa), native to the northern Pacific coasts of Canada and the USA. The name seems to have originated from an Native American word meaning to dig deep, and indeed… check out this clip (originating from Fisheries Canada) to see how a Geoduck Clam is harvested.

Click the thumbnail images accompanying the recipe for a larger version of this week’s Friday Food Porn… the Prized Meat of the Geoduck Clam. But please, only click if you’re confident enough not to let it bother you; Fracas cares about your self-esteem! Well, maybe not all of you. Some of you over at Humor-Blogs seem to think you’re all mighty. I’m sure you don’t need me to care about your self esteem, so click away!

Pacific Rim Geoduck Carpaccio

Recipe courtesy Karen Malody
Sesame Spinach:
1 bunch or 8 ounces spinach, stems removed, washed and trimmed
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Geoduck Carpaccio:
24 (1/2 to 1 ounce) thinly sliced pieces geoduck siphon, pounded (might I say… ouch)

2 green onions (scallions), green part only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sliced pickled ginger

In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the spinach for about 1 minute, or until leaves are just wilted. Drain and rinse under cold water until the spinach is thoroughly cooled. Drain well and wrap spinach in clean, dry towel. Squeeze to remove excess moisture. Place spinach in medium bowl, sprinkle on sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and salt and toss to mix. Set aside until ready to use. Sprinkle with sesame seeds for garnish just before serving.

Place a portion of the Sesame Spinach in the center of 4 plates. Or, place spinach on 1 large platter for buffet or family-style serving. Arrange 6 geoduck slices around the spinach. Drizzle some sauce on the geoduck and garnish with a sprinkling of green onions. Serve a bit of the sauce on the side as a dipping sauce, if desired. Place pickled ginger in center of salad in a mound.

Dipping Sauce:
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Asian barbecue sauce
2 teaspoons hot bean sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese Shoaxing wine or dry Sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon sugar

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine shallots, garlic, Asian barbecue sauce, hot bean sauce, and hoisin sauce and cook for 30 seconds. Add wine and cook for 1 minute. Add soy sauce, stock and sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Adjust with sugar, to taste. Transfer mixture to a blender and process until liquefied. Let cool.

More information about Geoduck Clams can be found at Agriculture Canada

[Geoduck Images found here, and here. Images cropped or altered to protect identities while displayed at fracas.]

And though we all know size isn’t everything… fracas is pretty sure there are some folks out there that will just want to compare, so click one or two of these little icons and share the mighty meat!