Food - Drink
What Is A Geoduck And How Is It Eaten?
By LENA BECK
What Is a Geoduck?
Pronounced “gooey duck,” a geoduck is a unique mollusk that makes its home nestled a few feet within the subtidal beaches of Washington, Alaska, and British Columbia. These large creatures can live up to 150 years and consist of a shell with meat on the inside and a large neck called a siphon that can grow a few feet long.
Flavor
Like clams and oysters, a fresh geoduck tastes slightly of salt water but not quite fishy, and compared to other bivalves, geoducks have a slightly sweet flavor. Aside from their mild and clear flavor, geoducks have a pleasant texture that ranges from crisp and tender when raw to slightly chewy when cooked.
Cooking Geoducks
Since geoducks don’t need much enhancement to taste great, they’re actually quite simple for a novice to master, and they can be enjoyed raw, lightly sautéed, or added to more complex recipes like chowders. Before eating, simply blanch the geoduck to remove the tough skin on the neck and open the shell.
Buying Geoducks
Geoducks cost about $15 to $30 per pound, but a single geoduck is enough to feed several people. To purchase a fresh geoduck, your best bet would be to go to a seafood market, fishmonger, or specialty geoduck harvester, and if you obtain proper licensing you can even harvest a geoduck for yourself.
Nutrition
Geoducks are a good source of protein and healthy fats, but it’s important to note when and where your geoduck was harvested as geoducks harvested during toxic algae blooms can cause Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning. Geoducks won’t show signs of these toxins, but they can cause sickness and death in humans.