WA (Shell)fish Quest EP 14: Manila Clam

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• published: 14 Apr 2013
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Easter 2013. Manila Clamming in Oakland Bay, Shelton, Washington. Eating shellfish contaminated with marine biotoxin can kill you! Cooking or freezing does NOT destroy the biotoxins in shellfish. Important safety information below. Know before you dig!: Recreational shellfish open beaches/closed beaches clickable maps: www.doh.wa.gov/shellfishsafety.htm Recreational shellfish beach marine biotoxin closures table: http://ww4.doh.wa.gov/gis/mogifs/biotoxin.htm WA Marine Biotoxin hotline: 1-800-562-5632 WA Fish and Wildlife shellfish seasons & regulations by beach: http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/beaches/ Alright enough with the safety info... Here's cooking info: PREVERSING: Don't keep the clams in water, fresh or salt. They can deplete their oxygen and suffocate. Your clams need to be live when you cook them. A lot of people use a damp cloth to keep clams fresh in the fridge. I personally like to keep my clams in a bowl with a baggie of ice (cubes or a block) on top of them in the fridge. I harvested the manila clams on a Sunday and didn't eat them until Wednesday, and they were in great shape. Just be sure to switch out the baggie daily to keep the ice fresh. PURGING: Manila clams are filter feeders, as such, they are full of silt. Eating a manila clam without purging it will give you a gross mouth full of sand. Some folks use a saltwater purge—I like to use a freshwater purge. First, rinse the clams in a strainer. Then put them into a large bowl of freshwater. A couple tablespoons of cornmeal or salt and pepper will have them barfing up their grit in no time... well, I'd give it 90 minutes. You'll need to cook them right after, as the freshwater would eventually do them in. COOKING: There's a lot of recipes out there, so I would encourage exploring to find one that you like. The great thing about manila clam recipes is they tend to be very simple. Here's my personal favorite way to prepare "steamer" clams: 1) Rinse the clams in a strainer, again, to get rid of the small amount of grit they barfed up. 2) Get a pot either with a colander in it, or put a metal colander in a pot. 3) Put about an inch of white wine in the bottom of the pot (make sure it does rise to the colander). 4) Put a lid on the pot (preferably a clear one). 5) Get the wine simmering and steaming. 6) Put as many clams that can fit in the colander without overlapping each other as possible (it might take two loads to get 'em all). 7) Put the lid back on and steam them until they start to open up (approximately 7-8 minutes). 8) While the clams are steaming, make a garlic sauce by melting some minced garlic in the microwave with about a quarter stick of butter. 9) Discard any clams that do not open—DO NOT eat clams that didn't pop open. 10) Put the clams (still in their shells) on a plate, drizzle the garlic butter sauce on the meat of the clams, then drizzle whatever white wine remains from the pot onto the clams as well! Then suck 'em out of the shells! It's awesome!