Clams

[wader]

What's the best way (or what do you do) to rid clams of the sand prior to steaming? I've tried scrubbing them with a brush to no avail. Is there something you folks do that works well?

 

[cany]

hard clams soft clams?

 

[chunkster]

This a question for a chef.

SIFTING PROPERLY

 

[wader]

hard clams soft clams?

hard

 

[cany]

hard

No sand on or in hard clams

 

[Old Mud]

Put them in a bucket with Corn Meal the day before.(mix them up well) Add ice if needed. Or put them in an onion sack and hang them over the side for a day or two. (Only if your in a clean anchorage)

Edit: for not paying attention to the question. Cany has it. Shuck them and eat them.

 

[Capt13]

Sorry guys, but I disagree. Little neck clams do have sand in them at times. Depends on the bottom where they are living. I've dug them in mud and they are usually clean, never any grit. The last couple of years I've dug them in an area that was very sandy. They do have sand in them.

I know some people who purge them in water with 1 ounce of sea salt to 4 cups of water, for an hour or two.

For me, if I get them from a friend, I'll just put them in a bowl in the fridge (no water) for a day or two before using and they usually purge any sand just doing that. Rinse them off over the bowl and you'll end up with some sand in the bottom. If I'm getting my own they go into a 5 gallon bucket of seawater until I get back to the dock. That is what works for me.

Larry, next time you get some, ask what type of bottom they were taken from.

 

[Roccus7]

Sorry guys, but I disagree. Little neck clams do have sand in them at times. Depends on the bottom where they are living. I've dug them in mud and they are usually clean, never any grit. The last couple of years I've dug them in an area that was very sandy. They do have sand in them.

I know some people who purge them in water with 1 ounce of sea salt to 4 cups of water, for an hour or two.

For me, if I get them from a friend, I'll just put them in a bowl in the fridge (no water) for a day or two before using and they usually purge any sand just doing that. Rinse them off over the bowl and you'll end up with some sand in the bottom. If I'm getting my own they go into a 5 gallon bucket of seawater until I get back to the dock. That is what works for me.

Larry, next time you get some, ask what type of bottom they were taken from.

Interesting. I've dug hard shell clams, Mercenaria mercenaria, in every type of bottom from up to your calves muck to fine sand and have never had sand or grit in them. Therefore I've never given "sand/grit flush" a second though unless we're talking steamers (soft shell), skimmer clams, mahogany clams or mussels, which get a day or two in a lobster car off the dock...

 

[cany]

Never had sand in a hard clam

 

[Old Mud]

Sorry guys, but I disagree. Little neck clams do have sand in them at times. Depends on the bottom where they are living. I've dug them in mud and they are usually clean, never any grit. The last couple of years I've dug them in an area that was very sandy. They do have sand in them.

I know some people who purge them in water with 1 ounce of sea salt to 4 cups of water, for an hour or two.

For me, if I get them from a friend, I'll just put them in a bowl in the fridge (no water) for a day or two before using and they usually purge any sand just doing that. Rinse them off over the bowl and you'll end up with some sand in the bottom. If I'm getting my own they go into a 5 gallon bucket of seawater until I get back to the dock. That is what works for me.

Larry, next time you get some, ask what type of bottom they were taken from.

I have only dug them in mud, Old Mud.

 

[wader]

No sand on or in hard clams

well all the ones I've had had sand - I've seen placing them under running water & using a brush to remove the grit - some have said soak in fresh water for an unspecified length of time & the clams will expel it - trying to find out what works for you guys

I don't know why you say there is no sand. I'm not the only one asking.
Just found this - I'll give it a try.

How To Clean the Sand Out of Clams

When cooking clams at home, one thing that can pose a challenge is getting the sand out of the shells. Crunching into gritty clam is enough to ruin anyone's meal!

www.thekitchn.com

 

[cany]

well all the ones I've have sand - I've seen placing them under running water & using a brush to remove the grit - some have said soak in fresh water for an unspecified lentht of time & the clams will expel it - trying to find out what works for you guys

I don't know why you say there is no sand. I'm not the only asking.
Just found this - I'll give it a try.

How To Clean the Sand Out of Clams

When cooking clams at home, one thing that can pose a challenge is getting the sand out of the shells. Crunching into gritty clam is enough to ruin anyone's meal!

www.thekitchn.com

I prolly eat over 100 clams a summer not one with sand Hell at cany fest I think we had 500 no one mentioned sand

 

[Roccus7]

I prolly eat over 100 clams a summer not one with sand Hell at cany fest I think we had 500 no one mentioned sand

Hear, hear. I’ve dug and eaten probably over a thousand over the years, North Shore, South Shore, Peconic, FL, CT, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Block Island, & Maine and never has a hard shell clam been sandy.

Thar all being said, go ahead and change the taste by putting them in a non-seawater bath, your call.

 

[Chinacat]

Hear, hear. I’ve dug and eaten probably over a thousand over the years, North Shore, Peconic, FL, CT, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Block Island, & Maine and never has a hard shell clam been sandy.

Thar all being said, go ahead and change the taste by putting them in a non-seawater bath, your call.

I agree with Mr. Roccus and we(me my wife and my son) dig a couple of bushels a year locally and sand is not an issue at all for us, ever.
A quick rinse of the outside in the sink is fine and enough.
I concur that placing them in anon-saltwater bath is not a good idea at all...

 

[wader]

I prolly eat over 100 clams a summer not one with sand Hell at cany fest I think we had 500 no one mentioned sand

probably seeded in mud I guess.

 

[cany]

probably seeded in mud I guess.

Ive dug them from sand also like most others have said still no issue

 

[wader]

Sorry guys, but I disagree. Little neck clams do have sand in them at times. Depends on the bottom where they are living. I've dug them in mud and they are usually clean, never any grit. The last couple of years I've dug them in an area that was very sandy. They do have sand in them.

I know some people who purge them in water with 1 ounce of sea salt to 4 cups of water, for an hour or two.

For me, if I get them from a friend, I'll just put them in a bowl in the fridge (no water) for a day or two before using and they usually purge any sand just doing that. Rinse them off over the bowl and you'll end up with some sand in the bottom. If I'm getting my own they go into a 5 gallon bucket of seawater until I get back to the dock. That is what works for me.

Larry, next time you get some, ask what type of bottom they were taken from.

John - just did a deep dive on Hog Island Bay where these were harvested. Not a lot of information on what the bottom of the bay is comprised of but sand does seem to be it. Hog Island (the Island & the Bay) are all part of the Barrier Islands which are built on shifting sand. So I suspect you are right.

While I was looking - I came across this history of the Island. Interesting read.

Hog Island: Ghost island in the Atlantic

darkroom.baltimoresun.com

I guess Cany & Roccus have just been lucky.

How to Purge Sand from Clams - Getting Sand Out of Clams

Here are instructions and the science on how to purge sand from wild clams. Getting the sand out requires salt water and time, not cornmeal.

honest-food.net

.


Wild clams and mussels are an entirely different story.

They should always be purged, clams especially. Different clams need different purging times, too, depending on how and where they live. Hard shell clams in clean sand, like Eastern surf clams, cockles and quahogs, tend to be easier to purge than open-shelled clams like steamers, horseneck clams and geoducks. The worst of them all is the Western bent-nosed clam, which lives in dense mud and can take days to purge.

Adding corn meal to the purging water does nothing. There, I said it. Think about the biology of a clam for a moment to understand why. Clams are filter feeders. The reason they have sand and grit in them is because they live buried in sand or mud. This proximity to grit naturally gets the stuff into the clams, which filter with their shells partially open — which is how the sand or mud gets in. Clams filter microscopic particles, not stones or grains of sand — or corn meal. Clams don’t have gizzards. They don’t need grit to do their jobs. Grit in your shell is just a side effect of being a clam.

 

[Capt13]

....... Not a lot of information on what the bottom of the bay is comprised of but sand does seem to be it. Hog Island (the Island & the Bay) are all part of the Barrier Islands which are built on shifting sand. So I suspect you are right.

Do you know if they were from an aquaculture operation or just naturally set clams ..... just curious.

Dom, from a scientific point of view you can't conclude that because 4 random people here have never found sand in their hard shell clams, that all hard shell clams don't have sand in them. That would be illogical.

Larry and I and probably longcast and Flukewhisperer have had sand in their clams. For me it hasn't been a problem. With that said, I have found it at times. If its a problem in whatever batch your working on, purging solves it. I've never used salt added to water or fresh water ...... only the sea water where I dig.

 

[Chinacat]

These were in primarily mud. No sand in them but in all fairness not all were eaten on the half shell

 

[Chinacat]

If a little bit of sand is that much of a problem maybe its time to switch to canned clams?‍??