The other day I wrote about Zuppa di Vongole and have since been asked how to get clams sand-free. There is nothing worse than tucking into a nice dish of clams only to find yourself chewing on gritty sand.

Soft-shelled (also called fryers, steamers or long-necks), razor and geoduck (pronounced gooey-duck) clams are the biggest culprits for retaining sand. Because their shells gape open and don’t completely close up once out of the water they’re unable to fully purge themselves of sand.

Most hard-shelled clams contain little sand and usually just require a good rinse and scrub of their shells. But, I say soak the buggers. Better safe than sorry.

Here are a couple of methods of “de-gritting” your clams: an overnight method and a quick method. First, rinse and scrub (gently scrub the soft-shelled variety) clams first under cool running water until water runs clear, then follow one of the methods below:

Overnight Cleanse
Stir one cup salt into 3 quarts of water, making sure there is enough solution to cover the clams. Stir until all the salt is dissolved and soak overnight (or at least 2-3 hours) in the refrigerator.

Quick Cleanse – Electrify the clams!
To do this place the clams in your sink and run cold water over the back of a stainless steel spoon continuously for about 10-15 minutes. An electrical charge is created by the water flowing over the stainless steel. Oh, the magic of physics! As the clams react to the fresh water and the electricity they will spit the sand as well as the fluids that remain in their systems. Make sure they are completely submerged in the water so that they can completely process the water through their bivalves.

So there you go, clean clams, no more sandy grit!

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Mmm…clams.

Clam chowder, clambakes, marinated, fried, steamed, stuffed, oh my!

However you like them, and wherever you are from, there seems to be a myriad of delicious way to prepare them. Last night we dressed up our buttery little Manila clams in a garlic white wine soup.

Zuppa di Vongole (Clam Soup)

• 3 dozen small hardshell clams (we used Manila)
• 1/2 C olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• Approx. 15 fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 C dry white wine
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 T Italian parsley, chopped
• Optional: fennel, red pepper flakes, fresh chopped tarragon or 1 tablespoon of Pernod

Scrub and rinse the clams under cool running water. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over a medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté over medium heat until soft, but not browned. Then, add the tomatoes and wine and cook on medium-low for about 10 minutes. Toss in the clams and salt, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes. All the clams should be open after this cooking period. If any remain closed, throw them away. Add the parsley, stir, and serve. For added deliciousness, serve with toasted bread drizzled with white truffle oil.

La vita é bella!

Other great ways to prepare your clams:

Most of my family is in the San Francisco area. For as long as I can remember my grandmother has made cioppino every Christmas eve. There’s nothing better than tying on that big flour sac bib and tucking into a big bowl, juices dripping down your arms. Here’s a James Beard-adapted cioppino recipe from Simply Recipes.

Grilled Clams on the Half Shell with Ginger Mignonnette from Laura the Lobster Lady

New England Style Clam Chowder from Cooking For Engineers

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