These clams were hand picked by us in a Connecticut River.   How to Steam Clams Fill a large pot with 2-3 inches of water Put in 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk. Place 3 to 5 lbs of clams (steamers) Boil for 5 minutes until clams open. (Do not over cook) Reserve the liquid for clam broth and dipping steam clams in when done. *Note: Only use fresh clams.

My love affair with clams started before I could talk. I love clams in every way: raw clams on the half shell, clams in chowder, stuffed clams, clam fritters but my favorite is fried clams. Now these are not strip clams mind you, these are whole clams fried up with the "bellies" on them.

Clams come in several different varieties. The lager hard-shell clams, or quahogs are used for chowder. Some of these shells were made into beads by the local Indians. This was called wampum and was used as money. Generally, the quahog is what is used as a topping for pizza.

Smaller hard-shell clams are known as cherrystones or little necks. These clams can be eaten right out of the shell raw with a little lemon or cocktail sauce. My brothers and I have spent countless hours with clam rakes harvesting this tasty fruit of the sea.

(We always get our clam permits first. We did not want to get in any trouble with the Clam Commissioner!)

Fried clams are different than quahogs or cherrystones, however. Most people do not even know what fried clams are. They are made from soft-shell clams. Generally these clams are eaten steamed and are known as steamers. Steamers can be served with a bowl of clam broth and melted butter. You pull off the covering of the clam's foot, wash the clam in some broth and then dip in melted butter.

For the above video, we made steamers! They tasted great!
 

Get a Free copy of the World Famous Pizza Therapy Pizza Dough Recipe:  Pizzeria Owners: Get My 7 Day Mini-Course: How to increase pizzeria profits

Big Chef...Little Chef Albert and Kamalei Grande "You will learn how to make great pizza!"  "The Pizza Therapy Pizza Book"  from pizzatherapy.com More>> Pizza Videos from pizzatherapy.com