Razor Clams.......can't beat em!

[jerrybob]

Wow......6 day clam dig this week in the Pacific Northwest. Razor clams......um good! Went clamming yesterday and today......had our 15 limit within 10 minutes. Clams were showing everywhere......lots of people out on the beach. Fried clams tonight for dinner. Clam fritters later this week. Lots of chowder this winter. Between elk meat, clams and a little salmon......eating just don't get much better! :licking:

 

[cqaigy2]

Oh your making my mouth water! :licking:

 

[JD 4520]

Sounds great. What beach did you go to? Guessing Long Beach. We have a lot of butter clams and other shell fish up the Hood Canal. Good way to live.

 

[jerrybob]

Twin Harbors.....near Greyland. Drive right out on the beach......today....no wind and about 53 degrees. Beautiful. Supposed to rain for a few days.....so a few less folks tomorrow. Oh well.....clams don't care so we're gonna get some more. Living good!

 

[Willl]

Never acquired the taste for 'em but truly enjoyed the 'hunt'. Family still has a bare camping lot at Ocean Shores.

After the dig, we use to always set up a cleaning assembly line and clean everybody's limit at one time. Good memories.

You dig up on the dry or a surf pounder ?

 

[Pete Judd]

Jerry, thought about doing it, but still a 100 mile round trip, and no one else to dig with me.

 

[Bird]

Never did any clam digging and never seen clam fritters, but I do like fried clams and New England style clam chowder. In fact, I keep a can of Campbell's clam chowder on hand. It's a long ways from being the best, but it's better than nothing.:laughing:

 

[niemeyjt]

Now your Razor Clams may be different to ours - in which case this wont work.

However, in UK I was watching a guy on TV who went round at low tide looking for the breathing holes. He then pours salt down the hole and they errupt out of the sand - and can be pulled out with no digging. Seemed very easy - more so than digging.

J

 

[Larry Caldwell]

There's a lunar eclipse tonight, so there should be a good minus tide.

 

[JD 4520]

Now your Razor Clams may be different to ours - in which case this wont work.

However, in UK I was watching a guy on TV who went round at low tide looking for the breathing holes. He then pours salt down the hole and they errupt out of the sand - and can be pulled out with no digging. Seemed very easy - more so than digging.

J

Hum...not sure they (clams) really do that but I'll take your word for it.

 

[jerrybob]

Willl.......I dig both ways.....shovel and gun.....just depends on how quick I want to be. Guns sure make it easy but it is cheating a little bit. Pete......if you ever want to go.....more than welcome to join us. It is a long way for 15 clams but it sure is fun. Never heard of the salt trick.....probably not legal here. We do look for the holes.....sometimes they're showing real well....other times you really need to search. I've had my clams in 5 minutes and I've been out there for an hour....just depends on the mood of the clams I guess.

 

[scott_vt]

Never did any clam digging and never seen clam fritters, but I do like fried clams and New England style clam chowder. In fact, I keep a can of Campbell's clam chowder on hand. It's a long ways from being the best, but it's better than nothing.:laughing:

Good Evenin Bird,
Actually some of the store bought chowders arent that bad... no comparison to fresh chowder but if your not along the coast and you like chowder, youve got to do something !

When we went over to Ireland a few years back, we had some of the best fish chowder I have ever had, Im actually making myself hungry just thinking about it !

 

[Bird]

Scotty, the best clam chowder I ever had was in January, 1974. at Anthony's Fish Grotto in San Diego when I was there for the Helicopter Association of America conference.

And the best fish chowder was what we used to make ourselves in the days when my parents lived at Port Aransas and with Dad usually fishing 5 days a week, we had all the fish we needed.

 

[B7510HSD]

Can't wait till Saturday night the dig is on!!!

 

[burnieman]

How do you get the gritty sand out of them? I hate chewing sand!

 

[mjarrels]

I love all things seafood... when we lived in Coupeville Wa next to Penn Cove, had a friend who worked at the Penn Cove mussel farm, we always had a five gallon bucket full. Had a Navy buddy whose father worked at a salmon hatchery in Porland Or and we always had a freezer full of large female salmon too.
Many folks dug for clams during low tide but I never got the chance.

mark

 

[jerrybob]

Sand isn't a problem if you rinse them well while cleaning. Had a batch tonight for dinner.....ummmmmm good.....no sand either. Some people leave a little sand in them to help clean their teeth while they eat.....cheaper than going to the dentist!:laughing:

 

[creekbend]

I found this. It contains a recipe for clam fritters also. www.wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/razorclams/recipes.html

 

[tungularafishcamp]

Bird you can always buy canned clams and make your own chowder.

I dig 25 buckets of steamers/butters every set of low tides and occasionally eat a couple(mostly for crab bait) but when we dig razors:licking:they are all for eating:licking:
Usually eat a few of the feet raw while digging and cleaning. Do you guys know about the quick dip in boiling water as the first step in cleaning? We usually can the extras instead of freeze as they seem to keep their flavor better that way.

 

[jerrybob]

Yep....the quick dip in hot water (doesn't have to be boiling....just real hot) makes those shells come right off. You just don't want to leave them in there too long......otherwise you cook the meat. I use scissors to clean the clams.....a few cuts....clean em out......in the pan or bag for freezing. Never ate the digger raw.....have done oysters but not clams????