How to Prepare Cherrystone Clams

Eat cherrystone clams raw or cooked.

Any true seafood lover appreciates a bowl of hot steaming clams. Skip the seafood restaurant and make your own steamed clams at home. Start by selecting the type of clams you want. The most common clams for cooking are little necks, the smallest clams; cherrystone, which are medium-sized clams; top neck, large-sized clams and quahogs, which are jumbo-sized. Cherrystone clams are a good size to start with for your first time preparing clams. They must be cleaned thoroughly, removing sand and other debris before being cooked.

Things You'll Need

• Cleaning Clams:
• Large bucket
• 3 quarts water
• 1 cup salt
• Cornmeal
• Kitchen scrub brush
• Clam knife
• Bowl
• Steamed Clams:
• Large pot with lid
• 4 to 6 lbs cherrystone clams
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups water
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Grilled Clams:
• Grill
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 tbsp. red wine
• 1 tbsp. horseradish
• Tongs

Instructions

Cleaning Clams

1. Place the 1 to 2 lbs cherrystone clams in a large bucket and add three quarts of water.

2. Add 1 cup of salt and a handful of cornmeal into the bucket. The clams have a reaction to the cornmeal that causes them to spit out any sand inside their shell.

3. Leave the clams to soak overnight, but change the water at least once, adding the same amount of salt and cornmeal to the water.

4. Remove the clams from the water one at a time and scrub each with the kitchen brush under running water. The clams are now ready to be used in a recipe.

Steamed Clams

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.

2. Add the onions and garlic and saute until they are translucent and start to brown.

3. Add the white wine and bring to a low, slow boil.

4. Add the clams and water to the pot and close the lid. Steam the clams over low heat until the clams open, about 10 minutes.

5. Place the clams into a large bowl or smaller individual serving bowls, and spoon the liquid over them. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Grilled Clams

1. Preheat the grill to medium high heat.

2. Combine the the lemon juice, red wine, horseradish, melted butter and salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Place the clams directly on the grill grates and close the lid.

4. Grill the clams until the clams shells open, about 10 minutes.

5. Remove the clams from the grill with tongs and drizzle the lemon juice and red wine mixture over the clams before serving. You can also serve the clams plain or with a melted butter.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not plan on cooking the clam inside of its shell, wedge a knife in between the shells and work it around the shell to open it. Slide the knife underneath the clam meat to detach it from the shell and use the clam meat according to your recipe.

• If you do plan on cooking the clams inside of their shell, do not use any clams whose shells are already open before cooking and do not eat any clams whose shell has not opened after cooking. Both are an indication of dead clams.

• Always add salt to the water or use sea water if possible. The clams will die if left to soak in freshwater.

References

• The Kitchn: What's the Difference? Little Neck, Cherry Stone,Top Neck, and Quahog Clams
• Recipe Tips: How to Prepare and Open Clams
• What's Cooking America: Steamer Clams - Steamed Clams
• Food Network: Steamed Clams
• Florida Agriculture: Easy Grilled Clams
• Chicagoist: Simple Cooking - Grilled Clams

Resources

• What's Cooking America: Clam Recipes - How to Cook Clams