Laizhou Clams

Laizhou Clams

　　Clams, also known as flower clams or yellow clams, are found along China’s coasts, but those from Laizhou are the most famous. Renowned for their freshness, delicious taste, and tender texture, they are highly popular with both domestic and international visitors. After tasting them, Japanese calligrapher Shōkoku Senju wrote: “Laizhou clams are the best under heaven.” There are many ways to prepare clams, such as stir-fried clams (a dish specially prepared for Comrade 1 during his inspection of Qingdao), egg-poached clams, and shell-bottom braised clams.

　　Laizhou is located on the shores of the Bohai Bay and boasts a coastline stretching 180 Chinese miles. The area enjoys mild winters without severe cold and cool summers without intense heat, with calm winds and gentle tides. Its shallow sandy seabed areas above the 15-meter isobath cover hundreds of thousands of acres. In particular, the Yellow River and dozens of other rivers flow into the Bohai Sea, bringing abundant nutrients that provide an ideal habitat for a wide variety of marine delicacies.

　　Large crabs, large prawns, large clams, and large razor clams are the four nationally renowned seafood specialties of Laizhou. The large clams, locally also called “flower clams,” are about half the size of a palm, covered with wavy brown patterns. They live in fine sandy areas of the intertidal zone and shallow subtidal zones, usually buried at a depth about twice the height of their shells. In summer, when sea temperatures are higher, they tend to bury themselves deeper. As a child, while playing in the seawater, I often accidentally dug up large clams. When these clams are sliced raw and used in soups, they offer a very delicious flavor. Another preparation method is “stir-fried clams”: whisking egg whites until they can stand a chopstick upright, wrapping the clam meat in the mixture, and then frying it in oil. The result is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a unique flavor that you can’t find elsewhere.

　　Laizhou clams are rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus, selenium, vitamin A, and protein, and have nourishing and body-strengthening effects.

　　In 2013, the “Laizhou Clams” trademark applied for by the Laizhou Blue Ocean Aquatic Technology Research Institute was approved and registered as a China National Geographical Indication Certification Mark by the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, with registration number: 13192921.

　　Laizhou Clams

　　Laizhou Blue Ocean Aquatic Technology Research Institute

　　13192921

　　Live clams