Most people couldn’t describe a razor clam, as they can be tricky to find. But Tom Norrington-Davies thinks their flavour more than repays the effort of tracking them down.
I’ve known about the existence of razor clams since I was a young child, but it took several years working as a chef before I saw a live one. The vast expanse of Ynyslas beach in Cardigan Bay is a razor clam graveyard. Whenever we were running around barefoot or wading through the shallows, my grandmother would tell us to watch out for the shells. For it is the shell, rather than its bivalve occupant, that resembles an old-fashioned cut-throat.
That said, the shell’s occupant is a pretty sharp operator, too. At the merest hint of trouble it can up-end itself and cut through wet sand like “a knife through butter,” as seafood guru Alan Davidson once wrote. Which is why charging around the Welsh seaside brought me no closer to any living specimens than the odd, painful encounter with their deserted homes. Things might have been different had I known about the art of ‘spooting’.
Several hundred miles north of Wales, on the Orkney Islands, hunting razor clams is traditionally known as spooting. When full moon tides expose vast flats of wet sand, those with the know-how head for the beach with trowels or clam-diggers. The trick is to walk slowly backwards through the sand. When they detect footprints, the clams descend but leave behind a shaft of air. It is the sudden emergence of one of these holes that alerts the spooter, and a quick dig should be enough to catch the poor wee beastie.
Spooting is hard on the back and not hugely profitable. Mechanised harvesting is frowned upon in this country, as it is known to destroy clam beds. This is why you rarely see razor clams in the shops. It is worth snapping a bundle up if you do, as they are very easy to cook and have a wonderfully rich flavour – a mixture of cockles and scallops that’s sweet and salty all at once. In texture, they are not unlike squid, which also means it is easy to overcook them. To get the best results, think ‘less is more’ in terms of seasoning and cooking.
How to buy and use razor clams
You are most likely to find razor clams between January and early summer. The one place I do see them year-round (albeit sporadically) is in oriental supermarkets. They will usually be sold in bunches of half a dozen or so, and must be alive. This is easy to check. Many of the clams will have extended themselves beyond the reach of their shells and will retract when picked up. They should smell of the seaside but not be strongly fishy.
It is always best to use bivalves the day you purchase them but if you need to keep them, wrap razor clams in a damp tea towel and leave them in the fridge. It is a mistake to soak all clams and cockles overnight as you can drown them.
How to cook clamsIt's best to give them a quick wash first under cold running water. Then lay them on a baking or roasting tray and give them a very quick turn under a hot grill for a minute or so. This should nudge open the shells. Remove them from the grill.
As soon as they are cool enough to handle, take out the long, white, meaty clam. The digger (the dark bit at one end) needs to be cut off, as it is invariably gritty. You might also snip the clam open lengthways to check for sand. Once they are clean, the clams can be returned to the grill, back in the shell. Another two minutes of cooking and they should be ready.
As I said before, razor clams love a simple seasoning. A classic recipe, popular in France and Spain, is to serve them plainly grilled, in the shells, with sizzling garlic butter spooned over at the last minute. Salsa verde or
aïoli complement all clams beautifully.
If you don’t fancy grilling the clams, try steaming them open in a covered pan. Just add a bunch of razors, a tablespoon of olive oil and about half a glass of dry white wine or cider for tender clams in a marinière-type sauce within two minutes.
Why not try this unusual seafood salad
Razor clams and blood oranges
Razor clams can be pickled like cockles, apparently, and it was that discovery that inspired this recipe, as well as my love for any savoury dish containing oranges. The dressing will allow you to make it up to two days in advance. Intrigued? Give it a go.