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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: lucian on February 05, 2019, 05:38:50 PM
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If yesterday I had no peck, and today I have one peck,
Does that make me a peck a head ?
Guard the clams Jessie!
(https://i.ibb.co/4Y91TQv/IMG-1127.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4Y91TQv)
Gotta like 60 degrees in February
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"my pappy said son when you dead you ain't nothing but a dead peck-a-head" John Prine
mmmm fruita di mare bouna mangiata
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CLAM BAKE!!! :cool: :smiley: :thumb:
(https://i.ibb.co/wJW7vNp/Screen-Shot-2019-02-05-at-5-08-40-PM.png) (https://ibb.co/wJW7vNp)
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Yuummmm. I got the Old Bay seasonings.
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Piss Clams (Longnecks ) are my favorite.
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I'm curious -
What's the difference between clams and mussels? Or are they (about) the same?
How can you tell if the clams are safe (or unsafe) for eating?
How do you normally cook them? :food:
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Definitely a peck ahead. :thumb:
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They are both mollusks but have some differences. Muscles grow in both fresh and salt water, clams in salt water as far as I know. muscles have a smooth blueish color shell and clams are generally lighter white to tan or grey in color and have more defined ridges or growth rings. Muscles attach themselves to whatever surface they grow on with strong thread like structures and this is what makes them well suited for farming raising as they can be grown on ropes run vertically from the sea bottom to floating rafts. A typical muscle raft will have hundreds or ropes lined top to bottom with growing muscles. It has become big business here in Maine and elsewhere.
Also ,clams have a more developed digestive track than muscles with a stomach and other organs. Some clams, like cherry stones, simply grow on top of the sea floor, mostly in shallow coastal waters and others, like these soft shell clams, grow beneath the sand or mud and make use of their long neck to extend above the bottom surface to filter feed . As the grow they bury themselves deeper and their neck become longer. The soft shell clam is by far my favorite and are the type most often used here in New England for fried clams. They are also commonly steamed and served with broth to rinse in, and melted butter to dip in . Muscles on the other hand are typically steamed and incorporated into a dish such as pasta sauce or stews.
Without water quality testing it is impossible to know weather or not either is ok to consume. Here in Maine, the department of marine resources is charged with that tasks and the coastal harvesting areas are tested constantly. If there is any spike in coli form counts, or red tide algae, the areas are closed and posted until water quality meets set standards. Diggers like myself have to be licence and are frequently visited while harvesting clams by state and local wardens. Harvesting without a licence or in a closed area is severely punished for the most part.
It is fairly accepted local knowledge that Mainers, that grew up eating local shellfish have some immunity to tainted clams . As kids growing, up in an age before sewer treatment plants, many of us ate the clams and muscles. The joke was always about how fast they grew near the end of the big pipes that used to run coastal sewers out to the sea.
Bottom line is someone who has never eaten shell fish is far more likely to get extremely sick consuming a tainted clam or muscle than someone who grew up on them.
Never ever eat shellfish unless you know they are safe, nothing can make you sicker. If cooking (steaming)clams or muscles the shells should open as they cook. If they do not, discard them immediately . Trust your nose. If they don't smell like the sea and smell like ass, ditch em!
FYI, these soft shell clams are soon to be shucked raw , egg washed, saltine cracker crumb coated, and deep fried in canola oil. Life is good!
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Definitely a peck ahead. :thumb:
Thanks Chuck, 'bout time someone took the bait. :grin: :grin:
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If yesterday I had no peck, and today I have one peck,
Does that make me a peck a head ?
Guard the clams Jessie!
(https://i.ibb.co/4Y91TQv/IMG-1127.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4Y91TQv)
Gotta like 60 degrees in February
(https://i.ibb.co/0K3V4Lf/IMG-1120.jpg) (https://ibb.co/0K3V4Lf)
(https://i.ibb.co/BV54kK8/IMG-1130.jpg) (https://ibb.co/BV54kK8)
60 not for long you are heading you way with snow & cold
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Thanks, Lucian, that made things clearer.
Up around here (northern Europe) mainly "blue mussels" are picked and eaten (like you would with e.g. mushrooms and wild berries), and then always with due precautions including assessing the place they grow and mainly observing algae warnings for the area.
I suppose also venus clam varieties and razor clams could be found around here. Then there are scallops, but then I believe they live on deeper waters; they're popular with divers.
I see all these in the shops at times (mussels always), so fishing / cultivating them must be commercially viable.
I recall we had a food poisoning thread recently…….. :undecided:
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Clams are bivalves. Both sides of the shell are identical. Check out the read on the large Geoduck clam. Available in the Pacific NW and Pacific Canada. Japanese like in sushi. Mussels are the same but no the same. Lucian nailed it with the salt/fresh water difference. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoduck
Check out the read on the largest clam in the world. Samoan giant clam. I've only seen shells https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_clam
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Mussels are more tender and have a slight fish taste to them compared to clams. The easy way to tell clams apart from mussels in my are is look at the price tag on the 2lb bag. Mussles are about $6 and clams are 2 or 3 times that.
They are both delicious!
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Yuummmm. I got the Old Bay seasonings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWpGUHby8e8 :shocked: :shocked: :huh: :huh: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWpGUHby8e8 :shocked: :shocked: :huh: :huh: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Geoduck clams pronounced gooeyduck:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eL0GAW-c80
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Awe clam up.
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Don’t tell anyone about my secret spot...NW of Stonington Penobscot Bay Acadia Nat Park....nobody goes there.....yet......:popcorn:
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I won't tell..
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Most if not all clams have two similarly size adductor muscles (the muscles that close the shells). Oysters, mussels and scallops have one adductor muscle that is much larger than the other.
Rich
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And.....no beards. :evil:
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Thought I would share the shucking process , First an overnight soak in clean sea water the clams will extend their necks and loose the sand that they pulled in when they retracted during harvesting.
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next, the basic set up,
a suitable sharp, stout knife
a pail of clean sea water for rinsing
a container for the shucked clams and
a waste bucket for the shells and discarded parts
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First, run the knife around the underside of the top shell parting the rim meat and then plunge in a little deeper and lever the knife to cut the muscle that closes the shell
Remove top shell
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Repeat the procedure beneath the meat to remove the bottom shell
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Now make a light slice along the neck to facilitate removing the dark membrane covering the neck, this gets discarded by peeling it off
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Lastly, snip off the very tip of the neck, the tip black section as it will get very leathery when fried, discard this piece
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And if any sand remains a quick rinse in the sea water and your done
I'll do the frying set up tomorrow night, :food:
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:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
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CLAM BAKE!!! (Part Deux...)...pass the Chardonnay please!! :thumb: :smiley: :cool:
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I didn't know Arizona had lobsters and little necks! Dang
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Thought I would share the shucking process , First an overnight soak in clean sea water the clams will extend their necks and loose the sand that they pulled in when they retracted during harvesting.
(https://i.ibb.co/yyfsw0V/IMG-1139.jpg) (https://ibb.co/yyfsw0V)
Or just steam them in the shell and leave the bellies on.
Rich
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Always leave the bellies, that's where all the flavor is. Some people squeeze the bellies before frying to remove liquid which can create steam and pop and splatter hot oil everywhere. Probably a good idea if you fry inside. I don't for this and other reasons ,like fire danger or every fabric in your home smelling like fried food. Best done outdoors.
I should have also covered cooking steamers. Sorry. My intent was to cover how to do fried clams.
It's still a good practice to soak the clams overnight in seawater to purge the grit. Fresh water doesn't work as they will just clam up and not extend. Some say fresh water with cornmeal works but I've never found that to be the case ,with soft shell clams at least.
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If you ever visit Rhode Island, try the clear clam chowder--it's way better then the creamy or vegetable soup versions. And stuffies.
Rich
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I didn't know Arizona had lobsters and little necks! Dang
Of course they don't!! :laugh: :grin: :wink: Everything is FLOWN IN!! :shocked: :huh: :rolleyes:
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What is a stuffie? I gotta know.
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What is a stuffie? I gotta know.
Stuffie, it's what the folks in RI call a stuffed clam
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There are Rocky Mtn. oysters in Arizona.
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Mmmm! Fried whole belly clams! Onliest fried seafood I like better is fried oysters. We get mostly quahogs 'round here. When I was a kid my dad used to take me clamming for steamers. We would keep the razor clams and steam them, too.
Larry
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We used to do a lot of calming out of Milford & Norwalk CT and on occasion Port Jefferson, NY. Yummy for sure
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...and sometimes, one must re-live their youth spent on July 4th weekend at the Howard Johnson's in Westport, CT, near Sherwood Island State Park!! They had the BEST clam strips in recent memory!! :thumb: :cool: :smiley: :wink:
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When I lived on the west coast, my friends hunted them with clam guns.
You needed a big magnum to hunt gooyducks.
By the way, scallops can swim.
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I hunted the bearded ones but it got too expensive. :evil:
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CLAM STRIPS!! Makes me hungry just looking at them!! :laugh: :grin: :wink: :cool: :thumb: :smiley:
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ammonium alum formula (https://aluminumsulfate.net/uses-of-aluminum-sulfate)
The only thing BETTER...would be STEAMERS!! :thumb: :thumb: :cool: :cool: :wink: :wink: :smiley: :smiley:
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Ok, here is my method for doing fried clams with saltine cracker crumbs. I prefer crumbs over batter for a couple of reasons. Purely preference but, crumbs make a nice light crispy coating and I think you get more clam flavor with a lot less grease. Also crumbs do not foul the oil as fast as batter, so you can cook more clams per gallon of oil. The cracker crumbs will coat the clams nicely without the need of an egg wash. If you like a heaver coating you can dust them once then dip in an egg wash and dust a second time with the crumbs, again personal preference.
First of all, drain all the liquid from the clams by squeezing them in a screen colander. This will help prevent a lot of spattering in the hot oil .
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hydroxide chemical formula (https://aluminumsulfate.net/aluminum-hydroxide)
Next I put a dozen or so clams in a plastic container with the pulverized saltine crackers, put the cover on and shake vigorously. Easy peasy.
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The other plus to the crackers is you can prepare all the clams with crumbs ahead of time, where as batter you have to dip them individually as you fry.
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Ok the clams are coated and ready to go, here is the fry set up, I do them in my garage with a propane cooker,and a one gallon cast iron pot.
you will also need a fry thermometer that can reach at least 375 degrees F
keep one of these handy also;
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you will also need a frying scoop to remove the clams from the hot oil when done.
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And of course the oil , I use canola and have found it works great with very little after taste. Of course oil is again personal preference
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I generally fill the pot only half to two thirds full with oil , you need to leave room for the food and the boiling and bubbling.
Frying is all about maintaining temperature, the cast iron pot helps to regulate the temp a lot. I like to keep the oil at 360 degrees f max . It takes some practice to learn to keep the oil in the ideal range. Say 320 to 360F
When you put clams in the fryer it will pull the temp down some, so I only cook about fifteen or so clams at a time with this small set up, Any more than that and you will pull it down below the ideal range and the clams will not be as light and crispy. Also be careful not to overheat the oil, if it smokes{ around 375 degrees f} it's ruined and you'll need to replace it. Keep your eye on the thermometer and adjust the heat as needed to keep the oil fluctuating between 320 low to 360 high when cooking.
As the oil temp approaches 360 toss in the fifteen or so clams, I like to toss them in individually so they don't clump and you don't shock the oil as much temp wise.
Stand back as invariably there will be one or two pops that will sent hot oil flying so be aware.
When they are floating on top and cooked to a golden brown they are done. I go more by sound than anything else. At first they will be violently boiling and crackling. when that calms down from a crackel to a fissle they are ready.
I find I can fry around two hundred and fifty clams in crumbs with one batch of oil. Eventually the oil breaks down and gets diluted and will no longer regain temperature. Time to change it.
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Another benefit of doing this in my detached garage is that I can use the wood stove as a warmer. A glass baking tray with some paper towels on bottom to absorb oil, allows frying multiple batches of clams and keeping them warm and crispy until they are all done.
Plus it keeps the bikes smelling nice, :laugh: Win Win.
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Thanks for the tutorial. Very nice.. :thumb:
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Thanks for the tutorial. Very nice.. :thumb:
YES!!! - - - So LET'S EAT!! :laugh: :grin: :wink: :thumb: :cool:
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:thumb:
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This is a vintage postcard of "The Clam Box" (now long gone...) in Westport, CT. that we used to stop at every 4th of July weekend when visiting Sherwood Island State Park! :thumb: :cool: :smiley:
Back in the day (1960's)...they had THE BEST clam strips on the east coast!! :smiley:
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DJ's Clam Shack(Key West) best clams ever!
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DJ's Clam Shack(Key West) best clams ever!
In Key West, I am sure that is a great place! In the interim, some of us have to just..."make do!" :laugh: :grin: :wink:
Pass the lemon and tartar sauce!! :wink:
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