Species sheet · The Edible Ocean
Giant clam
An iridescent mantle spilling from a two-hundred-kilo shell.
- Raw with coconut milk and lime, Tahitian style
- Muscle seared for seconds
- In a salad, marinated in citrus juice
Protected species
It is eaten in some cultures. It is also a protected species, and we have no wish to encourage that.
- In French
- Bénitier géant
- Scientific name
- Tridacna gigas
- Status
- Protected species
- In the water
- Shallow coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, lying on the reef flat in full light, from one to twenty metres.
- Season & buying
- Trade regulated under CITES; only farmed animals are legally sold.
- Common length
- ~100 cm
- How to identify it
- Massive shell with four to six deep folds
Zigzag opening between the two valves
Blue, green and brown mantle, flecked with pale spots
On the plate
Firm sweet adductor muscle, eaten raw across the Pacific.
Avoid: Buying a wild specimen: its trade is regulated and wild populations are collapsing.
It draws most of its energy from algae housed in its mantle, which it spreads to the sun like a living solar panel.