Atlantic surf clams are a large variety of hard-shell clam found in deep water, akin to their shore-centric cousins. Unlike some of the smaller clams, however, the belly in a surf clam is not eaten. After the belly is removed, the foot—or “tongue” as the fishermen tend to call it—is cut out and made into strips for frying. The remainder of the clam meat (mostly the abductor muscles that close the shell) is minced for chowder or sauces. Fisherman and captain of the Goody Hallet Scott Nolan suggests that there is a better way to enjoy these bivalves: fresh.