Chocolate Clams

I’ve been a little remiss about updating this website of late. So, in the meantime, here’s Elaine J. Masters of TripWellness, introducing Mexico’s eminently delicious and fabulously named chocolate clams.

Diners with a taste for shellfish have little chance to enjoy fresh chocolate clams – unless they venture to Baja Mexico. The meaty and tender almejas chocolatas, named for the colour of their uniformly dark brown shells rather than any chocolate flavour, are harvested from the waters of the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific coastal region, where they cluster along the sandy bottom of lagoons.

Their size is impressive. The Mexican chocolate clam, Megapitaria squalida, is one of the largest North American West Coast bivalves, reaching 5 to 6 inches across.

The Villa del Palmar resort, south of Loreto on the fingernail shaped bay of Ensenada Blanca, contracts with local fishermen for daily deliveries of fresh-caught clams. Pounds of the delicious bivalves are carefully cleaned and prepared in a dedicated prep room on the property.

Chocolate clams make the perfect complement to a sunny afternoon, surrounded by the rugged cliffs of the “La Giganta” mountain range, just yards from an aqua sea sprinkled with islands.

Simply prepared escabeche style (lightly marinated and served cold), they are presented on the half shell, with a little lemon and sweet red pepper. If you are hungrier, try the Chef’s Special – chocolate clams Loreto style, baked with a layer of Monterrey Jack cheese, garlic, chipotle and butter.

Other ways to enjoy them? Try the Cortez Sea Salad with a serrano chilli dressing, the Ensenada Blanca Cream Soup (a local version of clam chowder), or crocantes with Panela cheese, tequila, carrot, onion and oregano.

International chefs may one day fashion their own fresh chocolate clam recipes. For now, export regulations make them almost impossible to find outside of Baja.