Killed with kindness, I would say.

1. Never put clams directly on ice. You can keep them cool if necessary separated from the ice by newspaper or other means.

2. I know there are those who will argue the point, but corn meal makes no difference in cleaning time. If the ice didn't kill them, you probably did them in with too much of corn meal. Plain salt water from the beach you dug the clams works best. They will be fine after 24 hours, but kick the bucket once in a while to help make them spit. Don't leave them in the same water for more than a day as bacteria will tend to accumulate.

3. Don't mix up your own salt water. If the ice and corn meal didn't kill them, iodized salt and chlorinated water would do the trick. Bring home an extra bucket of water if you think you will need to have a water change.

4. After they have spit, you can keep them fresh for a day or two in a bowl in the fridge with a wet rag over them, but don't seal them up - They need to breathe! Manilla clams keep the longest, butter clams won't last as long. That's why you don't see them in the fish market.

5. To cook: Clam fritters are under-rated. Grind up the clams and add an egg and just enough cracker crumbs to make the mix hold together. A little onion and garlic in the mix is good. Form in to patties and fry quickly in hot oil. Don't follow the recipes that require a lot of binder. You end up with a clam flavored dough-ball.

I agree that split and fry under the shell is great.

Clam dip is good and easy to make. Google it and you'll get a bunch of recipes.

Cleaning tip: You can steam the clams and have the clams fall right out of the shell. Then you also get nectar to use in clam soups, chowers, etc. The nectar is awesome. You can freeze the steamed clam meat covered in their own nectar, and they will keep just fine for a year.

Steamner clams can be frozen whole in the shell and then cooked like fresh - The open when done just like the live ones do.

Good luck!