Hi,

My husband and I are new to the area and to clamming in general. We took advantage of the 'free fishing weekend' yesterday and went clamming. We were looking for manilla or little neck clams but while we were at the beach everyone seemed more interested in the bigger clams that we later learned were butter clams.

Our little neck clams seemed to fair well but all the butter clams we got died. We soaked/stored in the fridge them in salt water with corn meal (too much I think). So sad and disappointing!

So, what's the best way to handle the butter clams?

Also, do you eat the whole clam neck and all or do they have to be cleaned like a razor clam?

Lastly, suggestions for cooking butter clams?

Thanks so much for any help and sorry for all the rookie questions.
~Heather

Bob had a recipe here that was great. Look on the recipes board.
Far as corn meal......I dont like it. We just use straight saltwater. Seems to clean them out really well. Just half them and spray with the hose seems to clean them the best. You just need to get the stomach cleaned out.

Actually, I just looked and the recipe on the board is for razors. He wrote is out before and i must have copied it down. Try searching it.

Hi Heather,

From what you say it doesn't sound like you did anything wrong. Don't know if you can use too much cornmeal. I have tried using a little cornmeal but have not had any more success with it than straight salt water. We have a vacation place on the water with a clam beach so it is easy for me to leave clams in a bucket on the beach for at least 24 hours, changing the water a few times. Then back in town if I don't deal with them right away I will put them in the fridge, covered in seawater, for up to 2 days. I've had very few butters die during this, and no steamers that I can remember. And I don't know why it wouldn't work to just put them (in seawater) in the fridge right away, letting them "clean themselves out" for a day or two. The cold will deffinitely slow them way down, but shouldn't kill them. Probably shouldn't leave an air-tight lid on them in the fridge, and maybe stir the water a bit once or twice.

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.

We probably did a number of things wrong...

1. We put the clams on ice to keep them cool for the drive home...well salty clams on ice=clams in water in no time at all. So they were in fresh water for at least an hour on the drive home.

2. I put in a lot of corn meal, like 1/2 a cup. Way too much I think.

3. We handled them a lot. Washing them switching their water. Took us an hour or so to figure out they were supposed to be in salt water so they were in fresh water, then salt water a couple of times.

4. Didn't have sea salt so made our own salt water with 1 cup table salt with 3 quarts water. We will have sea salt on hand for our next adventure.

It's such a bummer, we were really looking forward to trying the butter clams. The little guys all seem fine, are still spitting and close up if they are open.

Sorry to hear about the loss on the clams. It's likely due to the shock of fresh, then salt, etc that killed them. Also, if you ever make your own salt water dont use tap water.... clorinated water doesn't = happy clams



If you plan on doing crabbing this year, then save the dead clams by freezing them (even if they are a bit stinky), then use them for Crab bait later this summer by defrosting and crushing the shell....they work really good as crab bait !

Welcome to the site!

Oh well, it's a learning experience fer sure. Probably the best way to transport & keep them would be in seawater taken from where they were dug. If it's hot out then placing them in a cooler would be helpful, though I have found them to be quite resilient from temperature change for a good period of time. Icing will of course dilute the seawater (unless you have seawater ice!).

My favorite pasta recipe for butter clams is as follows:

Heat slowly in a large iron skillet or Dutch oven:

1/2 cup olive oil
add:
1/4 tsp (or too taste) crushed red pepper flakes,
1 large chopped onion,
3 large cloves mashed & chopped garlic,
a generous bunch of fresh or dried sweet basil,
1 Tbls oregano,
salt & pepper to taste.

Cook slowly about half an hour. (Optional: after about 15 minutes add sliced mushrooms).
Add 1/2 cup or so of clam nectar (or drained liquid from 2 cans clams). I also add 1/4 cup or so dry white wine at this point.
Increase heat a little so liquid will cook down to oily stage again. Cook: 1 pound box of spaghetti or linguine with salt and a few drops oil.
Five mins before pasta is done, add:
1 cup (or more!) chopped cooked clams or 2 cans drained canned clames with
1/2 cup chopped parsley, and
3 Tbls freshly grated Parmeson or Romano cheese.

Simmer clams 5 minutes at low heat (careful not to overcook clams, they get tough). OPTIONAL: add small can or bunch of precooked small shrimp.
Slp drained pasta into skillet/pot with sauce. Toss pasta & sauce together over low heat a couple of minutes. Slather plenty of cheese over top and serve from skillet/pot.

Take some frozen water bottles to put in the saltwater in the cooler on the way home--- one is probably enough.

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!

Wow! Thanks for all the tips. What a learning experience yesterday was. Such a bummer to do the work, feel the excitement of actually finding clams just to have them die (or in my case, just to kill them).

We'll be going again and hopefully will have better luck. So to recap:

Salt water soak (preferably ocean water) no corn meal - check
Keep cool and stir the clams/kick the bucket every so often - check
Change water every 24 hours if soaking longer than 24 hrs - check
Refrigerate w/damp towel on top after that, use within 2 days - check
Split, spray w/ hose, clean the gunk out of their tummies - check
Fry, saute, grind, make patties, enjoy! - check

Thanks again for all your help!

I think that the recipe Bob posted is basically my favorite way with Butter Clams that I have used for many years.

I like to use smaller butter clams for frying, somewhere about three inches in shell length. Slice them open with a fillet knife, use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the part of the shell that is still holding the two parts of shell together.

Rinse to remove any sand that may be in the clam, then dredge in flour. I usually use a ziplock bag with seasoned flour, dropping the clam in and shaking it so the clam is well coated with flour. Place the dredged half shells on a paper towel until ready to cook.

Some people may desire to clean out the green stuff in the stomach, but I don't bother, you don't clean oysters.

If you use a frying pan, place the clams in the pan shell side down and cook for a minute or two so the clam will be heated through the shell. This method keeps the meat more tender than starting with the clam meat side down.

Turn the clam over and cook until the flour and meat are browned. This only takes a couple of minutes so don't over-cook. Over cooking will result in a tough and very chewy clam.

If you use a deep fat fryer, the half shell clam will cook quickly as from both sides are getting equal heat.

Larger Butter Clams are excellent for chowder. Slice through the muscle that holds the body in the shell, using a flexible bladed knife (fillet knife), clean out the stomach area disposing the green stuff, cut off the black tip of the siphon and chop the cleaned clam into pieces. A food processor is the most efficient way to chop the clams to chowder sized pieces.

Be sure to check with the Health Department Shellfish Hotline to make sure the area where you dig butter clams is safe as Butter Clams retain bio-toxins (Red Tide) longer than native littlenecks and manilas and there may be a danger of paralytic shellfish poisoning when harvesting Butter Clams even if it is safe to eat these popular steamers.

Instead of slicing thru the muscle slice between the muscle and shell on both sides. Remove the muscle in one piece as this makes for for a mighty fine poor-mans' scallop

And don't stick the fillet knife in your hand. I did but superglue fixed it. It was, however, a bit embarrassing as the paper towel I used as a pressure bandage until the glue set also was glued to my hand so pick out something for that purpose that matches your outfit. It may be there awhile.

Instead of slicing thru the muscle slice between the muscle and shell on both sides. Remove the muscle in one piece as this makes for for a mighty fine poor-mans' scallop

Actually that's what I meant, using a flexible blade to cut along the edge of the shell through the abductor muscle.

Bain family way is:

saltwater for 24 hours

boil until the shells pop open

empty into a bowl or bowls

everyone has a bowl of melted butter and a fork

stab clam out of shell...dip in butter...eat away


thats it

Grew up on a clam beach, we never made it any more complicated then the Bain family

JimB - Good guidance for steamers, but the original question was about butter clams. I would never steam a pot of butter clams and eat them that way unless you somehow numb your gag reflex. Steam to get them out of the shell, sure.

I'm a fanatic about steamer clams. I agree 100 percent that the family style with a major pot full and dipping butter is how steamers are meant to be. Add a cup of clam nectar on the side and I'm in heaven.

FYI - Theres another seed sale at Taylors fathers day weekend, for those who want to grow or supplement your own. You can get a thousand manillas for under $10, and in 2 years with a little luck you have clams galore. All you need it a beach to plant them on.