By Stacey Sutherlin
Once you’re done clamming and you’ve made it home, the cleaning begins. Since you placed them in your bucket of cool salt water, they should be pretty clean and there shouldn’t be much sand to deal with. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, dip your clams into the water one at a time for a couple of seconds until the shell pops open, then remove and place into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Once all the clams are removed from the shell and placed into the cold water, grab a pair of scissors.
1.) Cut the black tip of the neck off and discard.
2.) With the scissor blade inserted through the neck, cut the neck open. Note there are 2 parallel tubes, one under the other, cut both open.
3.) Next, cut the two gills which are brownish-yellow in color with the scissors off the clam body.
4.) Squeeze the digger foot and cut the clam stomach off with a circular cut, the stomach has a small clear rod that also needs to be removed.
5.) Cut the digging foot off the clam body.
6.) Slit the digger from one end to the other and cut off the remainder of the digestive system.
Anything with a brownish-yellow color should be cut off the clam body and the digger, you should have a nice white clam body, also known as a steak, and digger remaining.
Now that your razor clams are clean, they are ready to be cooked up for that hard-earned meal.
Fried Razors
Razor clams are tasty little treats! There are many ingredients you can add to your recipe to obtain the desired flavor. Here’s a simple, quick, and delicious recipe for those tasty clams you dug and put all that work in to clean.
Serves: 2
Prep: 35 Minutes
Cook: 2 Minutes
Ingredients:
* 3-6 razor clams
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
* 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
* Butter (About 1 tablespoon per clam)
* Olive oil (A drizzle with butter but use any amount you choose, a little goes a long way)
* Lemon
* Cocktail sauce
Equipment:
* Pan or griddle
* Paper towels
* Foil
* Cookie sheet
* Three bowls
* Measuring spoons
* Measuring bowls
* Meat tenderizer
Prep:
* Place foil on cookie tray.
* Pound the clam necks with meat tenderizer.
* Pat the clams dry on both sides with a paper towel.
* Beat eggs together in bowl (bowl 1).
* Stir flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together in separate bowl (bowl 2).
* Stir Panko and grated parmesan cheese together in another bowl (bowl 3).
* Dip clams into flour mixture and cover well, shake off excess.
* Take flour-covered clam and dip into eggs.
* Now, take egg-covered clam and place into Panko mixture, cover clams fully and evenly.
* Lay completed dipped clam on foil on cookie tray.
* Let clams rest on tray in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes (helps the coating dry out and adhere better).
* Heat skillet or griddle to medium-high heat.
Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil and butter in skillet or griddle.
2. Once oil and butter are hot, add clams, a couple at a time.
3. Cook for 1 minute on each side or until golden brown (don’t overcook or they will be tough/chewy).
4. Add more oil and butter between each batch of clams cooked.
5. Once cooked, place on paper towel to drain oil/butter for a minute.
6. Serve and enjoy!
I suggest serving with fresh lemon slices and cocktail sauce. One of our favorite meals is fried razor clams, scalloped potatoes, steamed asparagus, and garlic bread, as it pairs well together.
Homemade Cocktail Sauce
Seafood and fish deserve to be paired with only the best. It’s never been easier to make such a flavorful condiment to add to your dish.
Prep: 5 Minutes
Makes: 1 Cup
Ingredients:
* 1 cup ketchup
* ½ teaspoon lemon juice
* 2 teaspoons horseradish cream of your choice
* Splash of Worcestershire sauce
Equipment:
* Measuring cups
* Measuring spoons
* Bowl
* Mixer
Prep:
* Place all ingredients together in bowl: ketchup, lemon juice, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce.
* Mix together with mixer.
* Place in refrigerator to chill.
* Serve.
* Enjoy!
Pair your favorite seafood or fish dish with this healthy and simple, yet flavorful, cocktail sauce.
To store, keep covered and chilled in the refrigerator. It should easily last a week or longer.
(h/t Great American Wildlife)