Geoduck: A Uniquely-Shaped Pacific Northwest Classic
By Anthony Lin
June 2, 2025
What is Geoduck?
Geoduck (pronounced gooey-duck) is the kind of food that makes you wonder about the early humans who were hungry enough to try and eat something as uniquely shaped as this mollusk. Native to the Pacific Northwest, they became associated with vitality and status in East Asia (especially China) when immigrants brought back tales of the infamous clam back to their homelands and imports began in the early 2000s. From there it's infamy spread throughout the world, and this clam now is known worldwide for its culinary uses and appearance.
Geoduck Anatomy
Geoduck are made of 2 main parts, the siphon (or neck) and the body. The siphon is the tube-like structure that comes out of the geoduck, while the body is found enclosed within the shell. The siphon is crunchy and briny as it's how the clam takes in nutrients from the water around around it, while the body has a milder but still distinctive taste.
Geoduck can grow up to 10 lbs (~ 4.5 kg) in size, but most commercially-available geoducks are much smaller, between 1-3 lbs (0.5 - 1.5 kg).
Preparing Geoduck
There are a number of common dishes for geoduck to take advantage of the 2 distinct parts of the clam. The siphon is usually served raw in dishes like sashimi or ceviche in order to take preserve its unique taste and texture. The body is prepared the same way most other proteins are prepared. Braised, grilled, sauteed, even pounded flat and deep-fried to create a schnitzel-like dish.
Regardless of the exact recipe, breaking down the geoduck is the vital first step. The most straightforward way of going about this is:
- Run your knife between the shell and the body to separate the clam from the shell.
- Remove the stomach (the sphere in the middle of the body
- Dunk the geoduck in hot water for around 15 seconds to help loosen the skin on the siphon
- Peel the skin off of the siphon
- Make a cut down the middle of the siphon on the same side as the body, all the way to the end. Then open it up like a book. Use the knife to scrape off any remaining debris from within the siphon or at the tip.
- Shock the geoduck in ice water for about 15 seconds, this helps to improve its texture.
Below is a video detailing the process:
Interested?
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