Living by the ocean has its advantages, and one of those is the availability of fresh seafood. Just before our holiday guests arrived, some locals came by with fresh oysters and clams. Being from the PNW, I’m used to smaller razor clams, but the kind they brought by from Loreto are a very different breed. They are called chocolate clams and are on average the size of a child’s hand.

The first time I had these clams was after our boat tour to Isla Espiritu Santo. At the little shack behind a tire shop, we dug into their only dish – sauteed clams. To make these, they chopped up the clams and sauteed them with onions, garlic, cilantro, cheese and fresh tomato and served them on the half shell.

For my clams I decided to whip up some ceviche for a snack when our guests arrived. This recipe is pretty traditional for the area, but I plan on experimenting with different herbs and citrus. For example, I think this would be awesome if you substitute grapefruit for the lime and mint for the cilantro. If you can’t get chocolate clams, any will do and best if they are very fresh!

Clam Ceviche

• 1.5 c fresh clams
• 1 c chopped cucumber
• Handful roughly chopped cilantro
• 1 green onion chopped
• Zest from 1 lime
• Juice from 1 lime
• Salt to taste

Clean the clams well, chop roughly and add to a small bowl. Mix in the cucumber, cilantro, onion, zest and lime juice and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours. Before serving mix in salt to taste. Serve with corn chips or saltines and a mexican hot sauce on the side.