The Northwest delicacy you won’t find in stores

The Pacific Northwest is a great place to hunt for clams of all types: Razor, manilla, butter, and even the elusive geoduck. But one bivalve flies under the radar: horse clams. 

Horse clams are the little cousin of the geoduck and share many of the qualities that make geoduck a delicacy. But while geoduck costs upwards of $40 a pound, horse clams aren’t available in stores. The only way to eat them is to get a $15 license, find a beach at low tide and start digging.

In this episode, Tan takes a horse clamming lesson with Chris Cvetkovich, owner of Nue on Capitol Hill. Chris digs up a bounty of horse clams and shares his recipe for preparing them in a Peruvian ceviche. 

Read Tan’s story about horse clamming in The Seattle Times. 

Chris’s ceviche recipe:

1. Clean and thinly slice the neck of your horse clams.
2. Place the sliced clams in a bowl and add fresh juice from 2-3 lemons or limes (or both!)
3. Slice sweet onion into thin crescents. Chop up a ripe avocado, a handful of cilantro (with stems) and a pepper of your preferred spiciness. 
4. Mix veggies and a healthy amount of salt into the clam and juice.
5. Taste and add more citrus juice and salt if needed. 
6. Let rest for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld (optional).
7. Enjoy with tortilla chips or a crunchy topping for added texture. 

Remember to get a shellfish license from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife before any clamming trip. 

Clamming season varies by beach. Look up a beach on the WDFW website to see if it is open and safe for harvest.

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