Anadara granosa
| Tegillarca granosa | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Subclass: | Pteriomorphia |
| Order: | Arcoida |
| Family: | Arcidae |
| Genus: | Tegillarca |
| Species: | T. granosa |
| Binomial name | |
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Tegillarca granosa Linnaeus, 1758 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Tegillarca granosa (also known as Anadara granosa) is a species of ark clam known as the blood cockle or blood clam due to the red haemoglobin liquid inside the soft tissues. It is found throughout the Indo-Pacific region from the eastern coast of South Africa northwards and eastwards to Southeast Asia, Australia, Polynesia, and up to northern Japan. It lives mainly in the intertidal zone at one to two metres water depth, burrowed down into sand or mud. Adult size is about 5 to 6 cm long and 4 to 5 cm wide.
It has a high economic value as food, and it is kept in aquaculture. Just on the coast of Zhejiang Province alone, blood cockle plantations occupy around 145,000 mu (about 100 km2) of mudflats. These clams are raised in the river estuaries of the neighboring Fujian Province as well.
The meat of this bivalve is served steamed, boiled, roasted, or traditionally raw.
Unlike other varieties of clams that are safe to eat, the blood clam lives in low-oxygen environments, and thus ingests more viruses and bacteria, including hepatitis A, hepatitis E, typhoid, and dysentery, to get the nutrients it needs.
Although blood clams are considered one of the more delicious Chinese delicacies, the style of preparation in Shanghai involves quick-boiling them, leaving many of the viruses and bacteria present.
In Korea, blood cockles are called kkomak (꼬막) and are cooked and seasoned with soy sauce, chili powder, sesame oil, and so on.
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Wikipedia