A Bucket of Steamers

[Adam Balic]

If one were not living in the States with all its clammy bounty, but still wished to make the various chowders etc, what types of clams could be substituted in the UK?

I have access to: Cockles, Whelks, Venus Clams and Razor clams. What is more important in the chowder the flavour of the clam or clam meat, as all of the above have little flesh and what is there becomes very tough when over cooked.

What you might consider is doing a variation of Doug Psaltis' technique at Mix: puree a bunch of flavorful clams (razors, for instance) to simmer in the chowder, then add some smaller, more tender clams (I like cockles) off the heat at the last minute to cook in the resitual heat of the chowder. In New England, most of the clams used for chowder are those which are too large and tough to be eaten as-is. They are chopped up and used for chowder. This is to say that a little chewyness in the cooked clams is not inappropriate.

Thanks - puree Hmmm, I guess you could modify it till you got some type of clam protein-broth-oil-emulsion-bouillabaisse  type thing. That would be nice. Occasionaly I can get 'Sand-gaper' clams which are like geoduck, but the shells are only 20 cm long or so, they would be good in this.

[Adam Balic]

OK, not I feel like an idiot. These Sand Gaper clams I can occasionally get are Mya arenaria , also know as soft shelled clams or steamers. The are common on the sandy beaches on the West Coast of Scotland, but mostly used as bait rather then food.

[slkinsey]

Well, the East Coast of the US and the West Coast of Scotland are two sides of the same puddle. Scotland is a good bit further North, though, and a different ocean environment, which may be responsible for the difference in the quality of softshell clams.

[Adam Balic]

Well, the East Coast of the US and the West Coast of Scotland are two sides of the same puddle. Scotland is a good bit further North, though, and a different ocean environment, which may be responsible for the difference in the quality of softshell clams.

Better or worse quality . West Cost waters are relatively warm due to the gulf stream, however, on further examination the buggers are found all over the UK. It is the Vikings fault apparently.

"Mya arenaria became extinct on the east coasts of the Pacific and Atlantic during the glaciations of the Pleistocene. It subsequently colonized the European coast between the 13 th and 17 th centuries, possibly introduced by the Vikings (as food or bait) (Eno et al., 1997; Eno et al., 2000; Strasser, 1999)."

[slkinsey]

Damn those Vikings!

Re the quality... what is the quality over there? I assumed the quality was not so good when you said they were used mostly for bait rather than food.

[Adam Balic]

Damn those Vikings!

Re the quality... what is the quality over there? I assumed the quality was not so good when you said they were used mostly for bait rather than food.

This reflects the quality of the inhabitants, rather then the produce. Until recently Monkfish was used as bait for instance. The clams are good, very sweet, even more so then scallops and with more flavour.

[slkinsey]

Re the quality... what is the quality over there?  I assumed the quality was not so good when you said they were used mostly for bait rather than food.

This reflects the quality of the inhabitants, rather then the produce. Until recently Monkfish was used as bait for instance. The clams are good, very sweet, even more so then scallops and with more flavour.

That's a good way of putting it.

So... we await the results of your chowder-making efforts. I've never used the Ducasse/Psaltis Mix trick of using pureed clams in the broth for extra flavor, but I am anxious to try it the next time I do a chowder.

[balmagowry]

So... we await the results of your chowder-making efforts.  I've never used the Ducasse/Psaltis Mix trick of using pureed clams in the broth for extra flavor, but I am anxious to try it the next time I do a chowder.

I'd be concerned about how it would affect the consistency. Despite the many creamy bisque-like concoctions which are often perpetrated in its name, a true chowder is a poor fisherman's dish, and as such should have a thin thin broth, slightly milky and intensely clammy. Seems to me that the real problem with the puree idea is that it would cloud and thicken the broth to an unacceptably un-chowder-esque degree.

[formerly grueldelux]

In my youth, we Bostonians could always spot a "foreigner" because they never understood that Framingham and Waltham were pronounced with a "ham" on the end whereas Dedham and Needham ended with a "h'm."

Not to mention that Waltham is "Wal-tham" (with the 'th' sound elided) rather than "Walt-ham."

And then, to make matters even more confusing... Waltham = "Wal-tham" but Chatham = "Chat'm"

The one I still haven't gotten straight is Wareham. Where ham? Wear 'em? Hamware?

-michael

[balmagowry]

Thanks - puree Hmmm, I guess you could modify it till you got some type of clam protein-broth-oil-emulsion-bouillabaisse  type thing. That would be nice. Occasionaly I can get 'Sand-gaper' clams which are like geoduck, but the shells are only 20 cm long or so, they would be good in this.

OK, not I feel like an idiot. These Sand Gaper clams I can occasionally get are Mya arenaria , also know as soft shelled clams or steamers. The are common on the sandy beaches on the West Coast of Scotland, but mostly used as bait rather then food.

Hang on a minute here. Steamers that are "only" 20 cm long or so? Oy, Adam, I hope you mean mm not cm, or you're dealing with some form of Mutant Mya that could take over the whole Arenaria! No wonder the sand gapes!

Hmmmm. But if they're 20-mm steamers they won't be a good solution to your problem, not if you want to taste an "echt" clam chowder. They have plenty of flavor, but it's the wrong flavor. And they're too tender. As someone said along here somewhere, the clams in chowder should be a bit tough. Chewy. OTOH if they're 20 cm that won't be a problem, I suspect. But I still think razors are a better approximation.

BTW, I have to say I really love your typos - often much more valuable and felicitous than other people's correctness.

OK, not I feel like an idiot.

See what I mean?

[Adam Balic]

Typo? Not I make him typo on mistake, methinks tired muchly he is and lack is in the delicious juicings of the booze tree.

15-20 cm is about right. Great big white siphon with clear sheath that swells when the clam is put into fresh water and does infact look rather penis-like in an anemic type of way. How big is yours normally?

[balmagowry]

Typo? Not I make him typo on mistake, methinks tired muchly he is and lack is in the delicious juicings of the booze tree.

I do not doubt it. But either way I found it felicitous.

15-20 cm is about right. Great big white siphon with clear sheath that swells when the clam is put into fresh water and does infact look rather penis-like in an anemic type of way. How big is yours normally?

That's rather a personal question, isn't it?

Seriously, I wouldn't eat one bigger than 7 cm - but the best ones (IMNSHO) are closer to 4cm. 20 cm is a veritable monster in my eyes, and I quail at the thought of the consistency.

Might well be perfectly fine for chowder, though - if a bit flabby in places. Hard to imagine it's the same creature.

Er - why do you put them in fresh water?

[EDIT, out of esprit d'escalier but also out of self-defense, to add cheeky crude remark before someone else does!]

Edited March 20, 2004 by balmagowry (log)

[slkinsey]

Hang on a minute here. Steamers that are "only" 20 cm long or so? Oy, Adam, I hope you mean mm not cm, or you're dealing with some form of Mutant Mya that could take over the whole Arenaria! No wonder the sand gapes!

Some mollusks, like the geoduck can have gigantic siphons. From the link:

The shell is thin, lacks teeth, and may attain a length of 8 in. (20 cm).  The valves, or two parts of the shell, are always open in the adult, because the body and siphons are too large to be retracted.

Sand gapers, though, are apparently gigantic examples of Mya arenaria.

[Adam Balic]

Typo? Not I make him typo on mistake, methinks tired muchly he is and lack is in the delicious juicings of the booze tree.

I do not doubt it. But either way I found it felicitous.

15-20 cm is about right. Great big white siphon with clear sheath that swells when the clam is put into fresh water and does infact look rather penis-like in an anemic type of way. How big is yours normally?

I wouldn't eat one bigger than 7 cm - but the best ones (IMNSHO) are closer to 4cm. 20 cm is a veritable monster in my eyes, and I quail at the thought of the consistency.

Might well be perfectly fine for chowder, though - if a bit flabby in places. Hard to imagine it's the same creature.

Er - why do you put them in fresh water?

Huh, puny I thought so. Texture is fine, no more tough then the razor clam or abalone or cuttlefish.

I wonder why they are so big here? Lack of New Englanders maybe.

[slkinsey]

I wonder why they are so big here? Lack of New Englanders maybe.

Perhaps they grow older and therefore larger because they aren't fished much?

Interesting tidbit from here:

The larger and older the gaper is, the deeper it lives in the sediment. At one year it is found at between 5-10 cm down, and at ten years it can as far down as about 40 cm . . . The Sand gaper, originally a North American species, is now very common on sandy bottoms along the west coasts of Europe.

[balmagowry]

Huh, puny I thought so.

Thank you; we prefer to think of them as delicate.

Texture is fine, no more tough then the razor clam or abalone or cuttlefish.

Yes, I wasn't thinking they'd be tough at that size - the "large" ones here aren't - but that the bellies would be flabby and mealy.

I wonder why they are so big here? Lack of New Englanders maybe.

And of Lawn Guylanders. Yes, very likely. Though by that logic I'm surprised they grow here at all.

And I still want to know why you put them in fresh water.

[Adam Balic]

Well I my original thought was that it would calm the clams down and then I could slice them up without guilt. Also remove the grit. What actually happens is that they thrash/flounder (not sure the English language has verb for 'movement of clam siphon/like neck of dreaming swan/or nodding of silver crocus in evening beeze') about, in a way that would make most grown men blush. The sheath thing bloats up with water and becomes all 'plastic wrap a daikonish'. Doesn't seem to affect the flavour though

[mongo_jones]

Um, no - the "tail," AKA "neck," is the siphon. The condomy thingie is just a condomy thingie, i.e. a protective skin worn over the siphon - 'cept that unlike a good condom it has a couple of holes in the end so the siphon can... well, siphon.

My bad, when I was referring to the condomy thingie I thought you meant that whole entire piece including the siphon plus condomy thingie because I don't eat the siphon or the condomy thingie, I just eat the body.

mmmmm clam-flavor condoms....

[balmagowry]

Well I my original thought was that it would calm the clams down and then I could slice them up without guilt. Also remove the grit. What actually happens is that they thrash/flounder (not sure the English language has verb for 'movement of clam siphon/like neck of dreaming swan/or nodding of silver crocus in evening beeze') about, in a way that would make most grown men blush. The sheath thing bloats up with water and becomes all 'plastic wrap a daikonish'.

Well, DUH! I thought you were supposed to be the marine biologist around here. Do you really need to be told that putting them in fresh water will kill them? You'd thrash/flounder too, in their shoes. (Note to self: do not even THINK about whether or not clams have shoes.) If you really want to calm them down and remove the grit - salt water, put them in salt water. SEA-water. You want 'em alive when they go into the pot.

Good thing biologists ain't like "most grown men," though.

Doesn't seem to affect the flavour though

Would if you waited a bit....

Edited March 19, 2004 by balmagowry (log)

[Adam Balic]

Well, DUH! I thought you were supposed to be the marine biologist around here. Do you really need to be told that putting them in fresh water will kill them? You'd thrash/flounder too, in their shoes. (Note to self: do not even THINK about whether or not clams have shoes.) If you really want to calm them down and remove the grit - salt water, put them in salt water. SEA-water. You want 'em alive when they go into the pot.

Pot? Pot? I sauted them in butter with smoked bacon, added capers and a squeeze of lemon juice to finish. Served on garlic crouton. What is this belly you speak of? I just eat the siphon.

[balmagowry]

Pot? Pot? I sauted them in butter with smoked bacon, added capers and a squeeze of lemon juice to finish. Served on garlic crouton.

Oh. So sorry, and here I thought we were talking about steamers - or chowder. (Sounds awfully good, though, I must say - shall have to try something like it this season.) Well, in any case, you want 'em alive until you're good and ready to kill 'em, whether by steaming 'em to death or by severing their adductor muscles - so I stand by my statements re sea-water.

What is this belly you speak of? I just eat the siphon.

Kinky.

[jo-mel]

Clearly a conspiracy, designed to weed out interlopers posing as natives.  In my youth, we Bostonians could always spot a "foreigner" because they never understood that Framingham and Waltham were pronounced with a "ham" on the end whereas Dedham and Needham ended with a "h'm."

And while we are working on 'h's------ how about Amherst?

[ludja]

Clearly a conspiracy, designed to weed out interlopers posing as natives.  In my youth, we Bostonians could always spot a "foreigner" because they never understood that Framingham and Waltham were pronounced with a "ham" on the end whereas Dedham and Needham ended with a "h'm."

And while we are working on 'h's------ how about Amherst?

And another crazy MA town.. Worcester... often has an "h" added in to become "Wor-ches-ter" rather than "Wuh-stah"...

man, I hate reading these clam threads. They start an itch that is relatively difficult to satisfy out in Californeyeay... Seriously though, lots of good info in this thread.

[balmagowry]

I definitely enjoyed eating the siphon. And I'm excited to go back to the oyster bar and eat my whole bucket the right way. Now, how do I know if my clams have their bellies attached? On a few of the clams' bodies, I noticed a black, shiny thing. Was this the belly?

Just noticed this hadn't been answered. I'm not up on all the finer points of clamatomy, but I think the black bit is the stomach, if a clam can be said to have such a thing. Which I suppose it must. But for some reason "belly" is generally loosely understood to mean the whole body of the clam, that is, the soft rounded part. In unscientific terms, then, a soft-shell clam is made up of the following components:

- the shells

- the membranes connecting the edges of the shells

- the condomy thingie (actually all of a piece with the membrane)

- the adductor muscle (sorry, that IS kind of scientific, isn't it)

- the tail (which is really the neck which is really the nose which is really the siphon)

- the belly

- the rim (that firmer edge part that circumnavigates the belly)

(And the two places from which a live clam can spit, especially after a good long drink, are the end of the tail/neck/nose/siphon and the middle of the membrane between the shells, where there is a little opening admirably adapted to the purpose.)

If your clams are steamed and served in the shell then assuredly they do include the belly - though a couple of them may well have come adrift and gone to roost in someone else's shell. Typically it's only in a case like fried clams, where all the bits may be camouflaged in batter and somewhat unrecognizable, that you might discover that you're eating a plate of nothing but rims.

[jogoode]

Typically it's only in a case like fried clams, where all the bits may be camouflaged in batter and somewhat unrecognizable, that you might discover that you're eating a plate of nothing but rims.

Ahhh, now I get it. Thanks, balmagowry! Whenever I come across any talk of fried clams on Holly Moore's Website, I've noticed that he mentions whether the restaurant/shack includes the clam belly in the fried clams. I thought that the belly was some extra, tasty bit I had never eaten. But now I see why you might be annoyed if your there are no bellies in your fried clams.