I'm up here on Whidbey with some friends and we are in walking distance of double bluff. We found lots of lots of cockle shells, good to eat? From a search here it appears we should be looking for butter clams, more than anything else. ... anyway what should we be looking for. Thanks for any help-
Howard

I have no problem eating them there cockles. They aren't as good as butter clams but will do for a clam fix.
I have 4 limits of butter clams spitting in a bucket in the garage awaiting their 7:00pm death sentence.

Thaks Charr so the butters are preferred. I looked at the WDFD shell fish page and dis not see a limit restriction. How are you cooking yours? And spitting the cornmeal for say 7-8 hours enough time?

Cockles are pretty chewy. The big hooked leg is rubbery to eat, best to grind for showder. Sandy and clay bulffs that erode over time make for compact beaches...not good habitat for clams in general. Look for low bank or some gravel on top, and you'll find Manilla (blueish or brownish stained shells) and natives (white/bone colored shells) are equally good eating. Depending ont he beach, they can be found on higher tide lines, up to 5-6 ft. on sandier beaches.

If there are no manilla/native shells strewn about, not a good indicator.

small cockles are pretty good, the bigger ones taste good too, but like was mentioned tend to be a little chewy. You can steam them just like any of the more commonly ate types, or shuck them out and chowder them. Easy clam to dig....shallow hidden in the sand mostly. Used to get plenty while wading accidentally uncovering them while scratching for crab.

DB has butters and horse clams. Dredge the horse clams in flour after cutting in half. Cook meat side down in a pan with butter. Good.
Also look at your regs again...there are limits.

Thaks Charr so the butters are preferred. I looked at the WDFD shell fish page and dis not see a limit restriction. How are you cooking yours? And spitting the cornmeal for say 7-8 hours enough time?

Double double sorry about that... anyone know the limit? The clams that have limits are in the regs.... I see nothing on the butter clam

One Way, poke around this site.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/beachreg/

You should find what you're looking for. Butter's limit is 40 per person with a size restriction.

Thanks, I'm off to go get em

Cockles are part of the "other clams" limit...40 clams total, 1 1/2" minimum size.

They eat pretty good, but make excellent chowder.

Fish on...

Todd

Be careful picking butter clams and cockles, if you read the regs a little further, you will find a ten pound limit, and those clams add up in weight fast, usually short of forty for 10 pounds..........have fun........Chuck G

got em feeding them corn meal as we speak.. eating them tonight, 8 hrs enough in the corn meal?

perfect. Just change out the water a few times.

be careful with the cornmeal...it can kill them, and dead clams are horrible tasting

I take a cooler with me and fill it with saltwater and keep the clams in that works a lot better then cornmeal plus I think they taste better

nother fan of letting them spit in salt water I took home.

Thanks you guys, the clams came out great, steamed them in the fashion we learned up here cooking mussels. Chopped them up and served them over pasta. I guess my method of letting them eat the cornmeal is kinda morphed, from what everyone else does. I used corn meal and water from the sound. it takes about 1 minute to get to the water so I changed it out a few times. There is noting quite like this sort of experience. I took by friend and his 7 year old daughter. There is so much to see at low tide, she really enjoyed herself, and she was participant she measured and counted. We probably got 20 or so, it was interesting because she was a 7 year old steward of the environment, all though we could have gotten more, she said come look in the bucket I think we have plenty.Thanks again everyone for the timely help on this, this really is what makes visiting boards like this worthwhile.

Glad you had fun, and kids and low tide......a magic mix.

Sounds like fun, Howard!

Fish on...

Todd