HorseNeck Clam Help!

[ngt]

So I got some nice good sized horseneck clams the other day. I was told to soak them in ice water to get sand out (not sure why since I cut them up and wash them alive anyways). I get them out to clean them and only one has a brownish neck. The others are a whitish light tan color. This is my first time with this and I start cleaning. Everything is easy until I get to the skin on the necks. The darker brown one peels off easily. The lighter ones are so damn slimy and would not peel off for anything. Ended up not being able to eat the necks on a bunch of them because of this. I hate wasting things I catch, so what did I do wrong?

Was it the fresh water I put them in on the way home from the beach?

Was it the ice water I soaked them in for hours? (if that was it, why did it only effect some?)

Were some of the clams undergrown? Not ready to eat?

Anyone seen this? Know what I'm talking about? Having a tough time finding answers.

 

[angus63]

Re: HorseNeck Clam Help!

I never ever use fresh water with clams. Also never allow clams to be submerged in a cooler of ice. Hi Temp, fresh water and salinity extremes have adverse affects on their edibility. If they open easy, do not eat. This is what I follow for east coast hard clams. Never harvested horseneck type.

After checking out some prep videos for geoducks, some do recommend a freshwater soak. Might be a whole different animal then I am used to.

Please consult with someone more familiar than I am with these odd creatures.

 

[ngt]

Re: HorseNeck Clam Help!

I never ever use fresh water with clams. Also never allow clams to be submerged in a cooler of ice. Hi Temp, fresh water and salinity extremes have adverse affects on their edibility. If they open easy, do not eat. This is what I follow for east coast hard clams. Never harvested horseneck type.

After checking out some prep videos for geoducks, some do recommend a freshwater soak. Might be a whole different animal then I am used to.

Please consult with someone more familiar than I am with these odd creatures.

That's the problem. NOBODY seems to have ever sun into this issue before. Not on multiple boards. Not at the fishing or bait shops. Nowhere. Weird stuff. I've been told to soak clams in fresh water to get the sand out, but since I just clean these alive, I'm not doing that again.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: HorseNeck Clam Help!

I had to look up horseneck clam to see what you are talking about. Apparently they are similar but much larger than the soft shell clams I used to dig all the time back in Mass. We called ours long neck, soft shell or **** clams. I always made sure I washed them with fresh water in the sink then put them in the fridge. Our clams would only live about 24-36 hours before we had to cook them. Any that died would be thrown away. We tested them by touching the neck and see if they moved at all. Not sure how you cook yours but we would put enough water in the pot just to cover them and steam them until the shells opened. Then yank the browno skin off, dip them in butter and enjoy!

 

[pscrabber59]

Re: HorseNeck Clam Help!

NGT, Boil a pot of water, Deshell horse clam from shell, Cut stomach-sack from clam, keep digger-meat. When water comes to boil put the clam-neck into boiling water for 10-20 seconds, dip&rinse horse-clam in cold-ice water, removal of neck skin should come off easy.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: HorseNeck Clam Help!

NGT, Boil a pot of water, Deshell horse clam from shell, Cut stomach-sack from clam, keep digger-meat. When water comes to boil put the clam-neck into boiling water for 10-20 seconds, dip&rinse horse-clam in cold-ice water, removal of neck skin should come off easy.

Exactly, once soaked in the boiling water the neck sheath will slip off almost like a tomato skin when canning tomatos. The skin comes loose just as if you were scalded, an immediate water 'blister' begins to form and lifts the skin away from the flesh underneath.

Edit: I'd move back to Puget Sound in a heartbeat, if I didn't have these G'kids here in the mid-west.

 

[ngt]

Re: HorseNeck Clam Help!

NGT, Boil a pot of water, Deshell horse clam from shell, Cut stomach-sack from clam, keep digger-meat. When water comes to boil put the clam-neck into boiling water for 10-20 seconds, dip&rinse horse-clam in cold-ice water, removal of neck skin should come off easy.

We did that, but it still wouldn't peel off.