Clams are old-fashioned delicacies little regarded in Britain, even though there are plenty of them all around the coast.  There isn’t much of an industry here and a good amount of what is collected is exported to other countries in Europe, making them more expensive than foreign clams.

Description

Clam is a loose term generally referring to those edible bivalve marine molluscs with fleshy bodies enclosed by a shell in two equal halves. They live buried in the seabed filtering particles of food from the water.

Types of clams

This homogenous group is extremely hard to tell apart due to subtle variable colouration and sizes. They are all edible but not all are considered palatable and some species are too small to be useful for food. There are many different species native to British waters and I will mention the most common:

The beautifully marbled palourde or carpet shell clam (Tapes decussatus) is the finest of them all. Its sweet and plump meat suits best for a great spaghetti alla vongole and are excellent for steaming. Very similar tasting are manila clam (Venerupis phillippinarum), an introduced species from Asia that are sourced from Poole Harbour in Dorset.

Hard shell clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) is another popular clam species original from America, being the most common there, which can grow to a huge 12cm across.

Surf clam (Spisula solida) refers to the shiny, white coloured shells you can find in the upper beach. They are rather mild in flavour, less chewy than cockles and perfect for steaming.

Razor clams and cockles are also considered by some as clam species and are very reputable.

Farming and seasonality

Clams are collected all year round, but usually it is best to avoid warm months, which triggers the spawning season. It may cause them to become watery and less flavourful.

The molluscs from the UK are harvested as wild seafood, either digging them by hand at low tide or the less sustainable mechanical dredging. It takes a clam 24 to 30 months to become harvestable.

Store and preparation

The fact clams feed on plankton by filter feeding means they must remove their sediments in a tank of purified water for a few days before selling them on the market, so they arrive to you in prime condition.

Store them in damp tea towel to help them keeping moist at the bottom of the fridge to protect from extreme cold. Consume them as soon as possible, due to their short shelf life. Discard any damaged clams or those that do not close their shells tightly when they are being manipulated. It is always good to rinse under cold water to remove any dirt. Ensure they are alive when cooked and discard any which fails to open after cooking.

Preparation and recipes

Clams can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, fried, roasted, griddled and even baked, depending on the type of clam you are cooking. Generally, clams suit Mediterranean-style ingredients such as tomatoes, garlic, lemon and wine. Larger clams are more suitable for chopping in chowders or baking.

One of the most popular ways of cooking them is simply steamed in a little amount of white wine, cider or sherry in a covered frying pan. Add butter and garlic and make a sauce with the reduced liqueur. Serve with lemon wedges to sprinkle to taste.

They are also good in stews or made into clam chowder, especially amandes clams works fantastic. Laverbread and clams combine well on toast and they can even be served stuffed.

Palourdes, manila clams and surf clams are great in spaghetti alla vongole because they open quickly.  Add them to your pasta with olive oil, garlic, tomato, basil. parsley and white wine.

In Portugal clams are used in stew with other fish, pork and chorizo for cataplana, meanwhile in America it is celebrated clam bake and India offers clam curry.

Support British clams

Clam fishing is in decline in Britain and the only way to avoid fleets to disappear is supporting the fishermen by buying clams. It would make the produce readily available fresh in your supermarket and it would support the local resources, being more sustainable for the community and environment.

Tags: bivalves, clams, palourdes, razor clam, shellfish