Hello Everyone!

Well, it's that time again... our local Evergreen State College is graduating the class of 2012 this week and we're celebrating with the official mascot- the geoduck! Once a year

The Duck.

we bring in a few of these remarkable bivalves to not only gaze upon with a sort of "really?" brow-raised expression of disbelief, but also (for a few brave souls) to eat! A culinary delicacy in faraway sushi-lands, the geoduck has gone from a local chowder/fritter clam to a no-joke cash crop for many local area beaches. Read on for all the details - and if you're feeling silly, bring your camera in to get your picture taken with one of our clams this week!  (I can't think of a better Facebook profile picture, can you??) 

We got another 'unusual' item in this morning - live crawfish! If you're thinking red taters and corn, we've got the mudbugs to go with them! We boiled them up with Cajun seasoning, salt and a few lemons and they're in two pound bags for $15 while supplies last.

The Crawfish.

In the case this week we have all the amazing seafood you'd expect for such an exciting week (Father's Day *and* graduation, woot!). Salmon season is in full effect and we have both some nice big fat kings from Sitka and some lovely little Barkley Sound sockeye. (Our family boat is expected to fish on Sunday and provide us with salmon for the first part of *next* week...) For white fish we have the super deluxe halibut, some amazing long line rock fish, Canadian true cod, petrale sole and more of that great lingcod. Our wild white prawns are looking great and have been pairing nicely with our Nantucket sea scallops for the grill, and we're bringing in some super-jumbo black tiger prawns if you're looking to impress with size. I'd like to recommend a side of Pacific oysters with that, or if you're thinking of smaller clams than the geoduck, we've got steamers from Totten Inlet (mussels too!) Lots of smoked salmon, fresh crab and those tasty little salad shrimp that seem to put the finishing touch on just about anything you can sprinkle them on. Lobster tails and lots more - come see us!
~Kira

p.s. We just got a call from our Hood Canal spot shrimp guy. (!!) Word on the street is Friday afternoon. We've put a small mountain of them on our wish list, so hopefully we'll have spots available all weekend. Yay!

The geoduck (pronounced gooey duck and not gee oh duck) is the most prolific marine animal in Puget Sound, with populations estimated at over 100 million in our local bays and estuaries. They are also the largest burrowing clam in the world and can live upwards of 140 years. Young geoduck start life as mobile and drifting creatures, that settle down and find a permanent burrow at about 7 months of age. Geoducks stay in their spot for the duration, slowing digging deeper into the sand as they grow. They siphon phytoplankton for their meals, and are so tightly encased in the sand that they're nearly impossible for predators to capture.

Digging deep for a geoduck!

Most people not from this area have all sorts of trouble with the name "geoduck".   Not only is it a particularly odd name, but it sounds nothing like it looks and the clam itself bears no resemblance to a duck, (gooey or not). The word geoduck actually comes from a Nisqually Tribal word, meaning "dig deep".  So there IS a rhyme to the reason, as anyone who's ever dug half-way to China in an effort to obtain the big clam can attest!

Geoduck used to be very popular chowder or fritter clams with an attractive price and ready availability. In the past decade or so, the clam has become a high priced delicacy in China, Korea and Japan. The neck makes a lovely crunchy and sweet sashimi, and the body meat is often prepared cooked as a soup or stew. This high overseas demand has led to a fairly substantial increase in pricing and a disappearance of the geoduck from most of the local markets. As a general rule, we only carry geoduck as a special order item... though this week we've got them in the case!

Hey, is that a geoduck in your pocket or are you just happy sashimi?"

Our geoducks are sourced through our friends at Taylor Shellfish in Shelton. Taylor is also the location of an episode of "Dirty Jobs" that very humorously outlines both the commercial capture and typical culinary preparation of geoduck. We considered briefly attempting to make our own little video, but after viewing this one I'm sure you will agree that the pinnacle of clam videos has perhaps already been achieved. Take the time to view this one if you're feeling frisky, it's quite a laugh! Click here for geoduck video!  There is also (no kidding!) an Emmy nominated documentary film starring the geoduck. You can find the trailer of this film at www.duckumentary.com or by clicking here. 

This is my very favorite way to prepare geoduck. It's particularly nice because you can make sashimi out of a small portion of the neck on one day... and then have ceviche with the rest of the clam a couple of days later. Two bangs for the duck!

ingredients

1 whole fresh geoduck (1 to 2 pounds), cleaned and diced (we can clean them for you!)

the juice of three limes

the juice of two lemons

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 T chopped cilantro

2 roma tomatoes

1 clove garlic, finely diced

1/4 red onion, diced

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne pepper to taste

1 T canola or olive oil

touch of honey

Place the whole geoduck in boiling water for about 20 seconds. Pull off the skin; remove from shell, trim out gut, cut siphon and rinse. Reserve enough of the geoduck siphon for sashimi, then dice the remaining meat and place in a bowl. Add equal parts lemon juice, lime juice and rice wine vinegar. Marinate in the refrigerator for two full days. (no cheating!) Drain off most of the liquid, chop remaining ingredients and fold into the geoduck to create the ceviche. Serve with blue corn tortilla chips for an amazing party dish or appetizer.