It's Pchum Ben in Cambodia, the gates of Hell have opened and the ancestors are coming through. Times for feeding the spirits, earning a bit of merit for your Karma. and feeding friends and family. Often it's a matter of throwing some clams on the charcoal burner.
That's why clams get expensive at this time of year: a kilo, ten or a dozen big meaty ones in their shells, cost a whopping $1! One treats such an expensive delicacy with care.
Kampot, Cambodia, is a fishing town on the estuarine Tek Chhou river so fish and shellfish are cheap and good quality.
So it was down to my little local market to visit this lady. Because of the Pchum Ben holiday, she was the only one in sight.
If you're too lazy to shuck the shellfish yourself she'll happily do it for you. with a smile. Whether it's the big ones, which I bought, or the smaller ones like these:
They were so popular that this big bowlful of big ones was gone in 30 minutes.
So, off home with clams on the bike to keep them in fresh water so the grit is ejected.
I haven't decided how to cook them yet, but they'll be great.