Shellfish and Fish from Shells – Dalian

I know fish from shells is a bit of a letdown, but squilla is a hard act to follow. But fear not, I’ve saved the best for last as usual, so for today, I will post my homage to hump day, this often-overlooked middle-of-the-week-marking milestone with a range of rarely respected refreshments.

Let’s kick off this witless wonder of a post with Fuzzy Clams. I have no idea what they’re called. The Chinese name literally translates to “fuzzy clams”, and since the sparse bits of black on their shells feels almost pettable, it’s not so hard to connect the dots. These little fuzzies have fat little bodes that make a small bursting mouthful. They’re a bit more satisfying that their miniscule counterparts .

I won’t say much about Razor Clams except that they carry almost as much giant-clam-esque sweetness as these fuzzy clams. Undoubtedly tasty, undeniably delicious with a little garlic.

I love the taste of a good seared scallop, but a scallop straight out of the shell is so much better. The shell is as beautiful as the scallop is tender, and it seems only fitting that the famous Birth of Venus depicts the goddess of love and beauty as rising from what bears an uncanny resemblance to a scallop shell.  

Rounding up a radically boring bunch, we have Conch. It took me almost as long to pronounce it as it did for me to appreciate it. When sliced thing, conch becomes less rubbery and far easier on the jaw and is best when stir-fried with heat, oil, garlic, and tender shoots of green onion. The meat folds and spirals, and though it’s widely accepted around the world, no one cooks it quite like the Chinese. My final words regarding conch: a nice conch is hard to come by, but when you venture to a Dalian market, you’re bound to find one you’ll want to take home.