Clamming up on Nantucket Shoals
The clam chowder you love to eat may be a lot more complex than you think—and not because the chef added smoky bacon or fresh thyme. The Atlantic surf clam that is its main ingredient has a complicate...
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.
Ingredients
- Fresh shucked sea clams, rinsed thoroughly
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- fresh chives or scallions
Instructions
Slice the tongue into ½-inch strips
Add butter and olive oil to large skillet on medium heat. To make it like Nolan’s grandmother would, use a bit of salt pork instead of the olive oil.
Add garlic and stir.
Add clam strips and sauté for about 5 minutes.
Top with chopped fresh chives or scallions and plate it with starch of your choice. (Linguine cooked al dente is great!)
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