As for cleaning butters, the entire neck is tasty al-be-it chewy. When frying whole clams I will open them by running a filet or other sharp, thin knife along the inside of both shells. Thenk I cut out the slimy, darker bits plus a big chunk of the gooey-green part of the stomach. Rinse, batter & fry. But for some recipes I steam the butters open first, then after they cool (or I cool them with cold water) I cut out the above mentioned bits. Chop the tender parts, grind the tougher parts. For clam fritters/clamcakes I grind them whole raw.