Fish_N_Russ
06-07-2004, 07:43 PM
Here is the way I clean my Gaper Clams.........im sure its by no means the best way but it works OK for me. Pretty similar to cleaning other types of clams, like razors and such but there are a few things unique to Gapers. If this post seems helpful, feel free to put it in the Tips section :smile:
First off, I let my Gapers soak 24-48 hours in a cooler with cold (ice added) water. This should be freshwater because you want them to die and thus their necks will stretch out. The soaking loosens up the brown skin that is on their necks, but I know some of you prefer to blanch them also. Either way is fine.
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam1.jpg
Here is your average Gaper ready to clean.......note the small crab that are inside. Almost all Gapers will have these crabs, they are harmless and just living inside the clam.
As far as knives, I like to use a short knife, either a small paring knive of boning knife like this one ($2 used at butcher shop, cant beat that!)
You will want to hold the clam with hinge side down and cut with your knife all around the inside of the shell. There is 2 adductor muscles on the clam, one at the top and one at the bottom of the clam........when you cut these the shell will open easily, showing all the clam parts (see pic)
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam2.jpg
Once you have these muscles cut, you can pretty much just grab the bulk of the clam opposite the neck end and pull, it will come off of the shell.
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam3.jpg
Here is what you have left....all the soft parts of the clam
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam4.jpg
Now its time to separate the neck--the part used for strips, from the rest of the meaty parts--ground for chowder or clam fritters. You can just cut down at the base of the neck.....the brown stringy stuff you see is the membrane that lines the outside edge of the clam on the shell. Peel this membrane off and discard if you havent already done so
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam5.jpg
Its hard to explain in pictures, but you will see meaty white parts and other parts that obviously are not edible. You want to remove the light brown colored gills (feathery in appearance).
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam6.jpg
You can separate the top part around the neck (not the neck itself) from the bottom part that has the insides and the digger. Also the 2 adductor muscles will look like small scallops. I usually cut the digger near the base and clean out the goop :smile: The rest in the bottom part I discard.
When finished you will have the neck, the 'collar' that was near the top of the neck and some meaty parts attached, the cleaned digger and the 2 adductor muscles. Everything but the neck itself I grind up.
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam7.jpg
Now to clean the neck, from the soaking you have done, the brown skin should just peel off. Sometimes the skin is dark, sometimes it is light colored. Usually there will be some sand on it around the end that went into the shell.
Peel the skin off, if some parts give you a hard time, use a knive and scrape off.
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam8.jpg
Your neck when cleaned, should look like this
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam9.jpg
Cut off the last 1/2-1" of the tip of the neck (siphon end), it is black-bluish in color and doesnt make good eats.
Now its time to get out your kitchen shears. As the neck has 2 chambers in it (bi-valves remember), you will need to cut on one side
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam10.jpg
and continue cutting, until you have 'butterflied' out your clam neck.
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam11.jpg
Your necks are ready to be pounded a few times and cut up and fried. Your body pieces are ready to be ground up and used for chowder of clam fritters. Hope this helps some people.....its not rocket science and after you do a few, you will be a master! :dance:
First off, I let my Gapers soak 24-48 hours in a cooler with cold (ice added) water. This should be freshwater because you want them to die and thus their necks will stretch out. The soaking loosens up the brown skin that is on their necks, but I know some of you prefer to blanch them also. Either way is fine.
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam1.jpg
Here is your average Gaper ready to clean.......note the small crab that are inside. Almost all Gapers will have these crabs, they are harmless and just living inside the clam.
As far as knives, I like to use a short knife, either a small paring knive of boning knife like this one ($2 used at butcher shop, cant beat that!)
You will want to hold the clam with hinge side down and cut with your knife all around the inside of the shell. There is 2 adductor muscles on the clam, one at the top and one at the bottom of the clam........when you cut these the shell will open easily, showing all the clam parts (see pic)
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam2.jpg
Once you have these muscles cut, you can pretty much just grab the bulk of the clam opposite the neck end and pull, it will come off of the shell.
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam3.jpg
Here is what you have left....all the soft parts of the clam
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam4.jpg
Now its time to separate the neck--the part used for strips, from the rest of the meaty parts--ground for chowder or clam fritters. You can just cut down at the base of the neck.....the brown stringy stuff you see is the membrane that lines the outside edge of the clam on the shell. Peel this membrane off and discard if you havent already done so
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam5.jpg
Its hard to explain in pictures, but you will see meaty white parts and other parts that obviously are not edible. You want to remove the light brown colored gills (feathery in appearance).
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam6.jpg
You can separate the top part around the neck (not the neck itself) from the bottom part that has the insides and the digger. Also the 2 adductor muscles will look like small scallops. I usually cut the digger near the base and clean out the goop :smile: The rest in the bottom part I discard.
When finished you will have the neck, the 'collar' that was near the top of the neck and some meaty parts attached, the cleaned digger and the 2 adductor muscles. Everything but the neck itself I grind up.
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam7.jpg
Now to clean the neck, from the soaking you have done, the brown skin should just peel off. Sometimes the skin is dark, sometimes it is light colored. Usually there will be some sand on it around the end that went into the shell.
Peel the skin off, if some parts give you a hard time, use a knive and scrape off.
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam8.jpg
Your neck when cleaned, should look like this
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam9.jpg
Cut off the last 1/2-1" of the tip of the neck (siphon end), it is black-bluish in color and doesnt make good eats.
Now its time to get out your kitchen shears. As the neck has 2 chambers in it (bi-valves remember), you will need to cut on one side
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam10.jpg
and continue cutting, until you have 'butterflied' out your clam neck.
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v249/FishNRuss/Clam11.jpg
Your necks are ready to be pounded a few times and cut up and fried. Your body pieces are ready to be ground up and used for chowder of clam fritters. Hope this helps some people.....its not rocket science and after you do a few, you will be a master! :dance: