Hama Hama clams at Olive+Oak is a don't miss dish

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

Editor's Note: This article appears in the July 2021 issue of St. Louis Magazine.

Hama Hama—what could easily be a magician’s invocation or a mysterious epizeuxis—is actually a fifth-generation shellfish farm in northwestern Washington. It was named after a river that flows into Hood Canal, part of an ecosystem where prized oysters and clams have been harvested for ages. Olive + Oak executive chef and James Beard Award nominee Jesse Mendica is an all-in devotee. “The oysters are sweet and creamy, with a floral, cucumber-y back note,” she says. “The clams are similar. They’re not some briny, fishy salt bomb.” Farmed in the river estuary, Hama Hama’s striated Purple Savory clams are far more tender than varieties that turn rubbery in too much heat. After they’re sautéed in shallots and garlic, the skilletful of bivalves see a generous “dot, dot, dot” of the key component: a sweet, spicy hoisin and sambal-flavored mayo. The starter is finished with sesame seeds, panko breadcrumbs, and a scatter of scallions. The dish has been on the menu for two years, “which for Olive + Oak is a lifetime,” Mendica says, “but none of us mind because we love it so.”