title: Meretrix lyrata
text: # Meretrix lyrata
  
  Meretrix lyrata, the lyrate Asiatic hard clam, also known simply as the hard clam (Vietnamese: Nghêu Bến Tre), is an edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae, the Venus clams.
  
  This species occurs along the coasts of Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) and South China.
  
  Right and left valve of the same specimen:
  
  * Right valve
  * Left valve
  
  ## Culinary use
  
  In Vietnam, these hard clams are eaten boiled, steamed or roasted. They are an important export in the eastern and southern parts of Vietnam.
  
  