Clammin’ It Up
I spent much of this week on the West Coast, soaking up the sunshine and tasting the local specialties. For shellfish fans West Coast dining can be sheer bliss. Home to the petite Olympia oyster as well as the gargantuan geoduck clam, it’s the perfect place to indulge in these fresh and savory delicacies.
Among the bivalves – scallops, mussels, oysters and clams – I’m partial to clams. Sentimentality plays a big role in my preference for they were the first bivalves that I’d ever tasted. Dipped in batter, fried until crisp and golden and paired with a dollop of ketchup, they were the most exotic thing that eight-year-old Kitchen Kat had ever eaten.
In all likelihood my first foray into clams featured hard shell, East Coast, quahog clams. Only two varieties of clams exist – hard-shell and soft-shell. Possessing a grayish shell less than two inches in diameter, the East Coast littleneck is the smallest hard-shell clam. Registering at two and a half-inches, the cherrystone comes next followed by the quahog or chowder clam. The quahog measures between three to six inches around. Hard-shells such as Pacific littlenecks, Manilas, pismos and butter all hail from the West Coast.
Contrary to their name, soft-shell clams possess slender, brittle shells that don’t close completely. All soft-shells possess long siphons or “necks” that stick out of their shells. These necks prohibit closure. Soft-shells consist of such well-known clams as steamers and razors. They also include the monstrously large geoduck, pronounced “gooey duck,” whose neck can jut out several feet. If you watch the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs“, you’ll undoubtedly remember Mike Rowe’s day at a geoduck hatchery.
For both soft- and hard-shells size matters. The smaller the clam, the tenderer the texture. Large clams, such as quahogs, usually end up chopped or minced and added to chowders or fritters. Small clams tend to be steamed. All should be cooked gently so that they don’t become tough and chewy. For me there are few things less appealing than having to gnaw away on rubbery clams.
On nights when I crave clams but don’t have the luxury of dining out, I just buy a few dozen live clams at my local grocery store. If I don’t cook the clams immediately, I place them, uncovered, in an empty bowl in my refrigerator. They’ll keep for up to two days here.
When I don’t feel like fiddling around with clam shells, I pick up canned or shucked clams in my market’s seafood section. These are best used in recipes calling for chopped, minced or ground clams such as in fritters and sauces. Dishes such as West Coast Manila clams steamed in an herb-garlic broth will unquestionably require whole, live clams.
MANILA CLAMS IN HERB-GARLIC BROTH
Serves 4 as an appetizer
This clam appetizer couldn’t be simpler to make. Just scrub the shells, boil the wine, steam the clams, add butter and eat. As with all bivalves, if the clam doesn’t open after steaming, discard it.
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, grated
1 1/2 cup dry white wine
¾ cup clam juice
¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, washed and minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 ½ dozen Manila or other small hard-shelled clams, scrubbed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
ground white pepper, to taste
baguette or crusty white bread, sliced
Heat the oil in a medium-sized stockpot. Add the garlic and sauté until softened but not browned. Add the white wine, parsley and oregano and bring to a boil. Tumble in the clams, cover the pot with a lid and allow the clams to steam until opened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Spoon in the butter and ground white pepper and allow to simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with slices of crusty white bread or baguette for dunking into the sauce.
