An afternoon's delight

By Kay Goldstein - July 19, 2007

It was late afternoon when the sun broke through. We piled into our ancient station wagon, and watching for the narrow sandy lane that cut through the underbrush off State Road, traveled south to Menemsha Pond.

Parking on the meadow grass we climbed to the house on the bluff, one of many that encircle the pond and its fishing port on the western side of the Vineyard. The view was breathtaking and serene.

Our friends welcomed us, adding extra buckets and rakes to our collection, and showed us the pathway to the pond’s edge. We walked carefully among the debris of rock and shells littering the sandy shore and waded into the cool brackish water. Despite the houses that perched on the hillside across the pond and the boats moored further in the center of the cove, we were essentially in or own private paradise of clam beds.

There are many methods to harvesting the succulent clams of the Cape Cod coast. Searching at low tide is an essential to most places, especially if you are using the rake method. This requires a focusing on the feel of the clam rake as you gently but firmly dig it into the bottom of the pond, all the while sorting the sensations of "clunk, scratch and scrape” that tell you when have found your prey.

With practice, the basket in the back of the rake yields a "keeper” — a quohog that cannot fit through an official shellfish ring. A special clam rake is not a necessity. Any sturdy rake can locate and dig up the clams, but the baskets attached to the rear of the clam rake are ideal for filtering the silt at the bottom and leaving only clams and an occasional stone in the basket.

As we perfected our methods the buckets, planted near the shoreline, filled with giant quahogs and cherrystones. There was an occasional startled screech as someone encountered the pinchers of a darting crab.

But it was our daughter, Katherine, who led the charge. Using nothing but her toes and hands to dig, and submersing herself so that her long brown hair flowed behind her like a mermaid, she single-handedly gathered dozens of the illusive creatures, more than the rest of us combined. As she worked with a smile and solitary concentration, the group kept edging closer to where she was hunting, hoping some of her approach would work for us. "You have to become one with the clams,” she explained.

We spent at least an hour out in the pond, lost in our concentration on what lay beneath the surface, going deeper into the water and ourselves as we watched the sun cast a shimmering golden light across the meadow and rippling water.

And without a word, we all began to wade to shore and gather for the walk up the hill to our friends’ house. Limp, like a piece of seaweed that had been gently pushed ashore, our sodden bodies began to chill in the late afternoon air.

Our appetites stirred, we headed home on the darkening road, and quickly organized ourselves into teams of clam shuckers and steamers and sauce makers and table setters, all the while sampling the glistening raw clams as appetizers. Soon a feast of clams with fresh tomato sauce and basil fresh from the garden, served over linguine, was being passed around on a large platter, and we toasted our good fortune.

Handling and preparing fresh clams

Since these critters are found in the sandy bottoms of ponds, they need to be cleaned of the grit before eating if you have dug them yourself. The Vineyard’s hard shell clams don’t usually need purging, but do need to have the outer shells scrubbed thoroughly. If purging seems necessary, place the clams in cold water with salt added (about 1/3 cup to I gallon of water) and about a third of a cup of cornmeal. Allow them to sit for several hours in the solution in the refrigerator. The cornmeal help the clams expel any dark matter and grit. To shuck clams individually by hand, first put them in the freezer for 10 or 15 minutes to loosen their hold or cover with crushed ice for 15 minutes. Work over an empty bowl to collect any clam juice. Hold each clam in your hand with the shell hinge toward your palm, and insert a clam knife between the two halves of the shell. This is usually the hardest part. Work the knife around so you can cut through the hinge. Open the shell and slide the knife between the clam and the top shell. Then detach the clam by sliding the knife between it and the bottom shell.

We devised our own method of opening a large quantity of clams. While some are shucked by hand to be eaten immediately by the cooking crew and guests, others are scrubbed, then placed in batches in a large pot with about an inch of water on the bottom. Cover the pot and steam until the shells just begin to open, remove, and set aside and add another batch. Finish opening the shells, pouring the juice in a bowl and placing the clam meat in another. You can rinse the meat in the juice to remove any grit.

When all the clams are done this way, strain the clam juice and any remaining cooking liquid through a coffee filter and set aside. The clams should be used immediately since they may not be thoroughly cooked.

In addition, here are some safety considerations: Always wear protective gloves (I use heavy rubber work gloves) and proper clam knives to prevent accidents. Discard any clams that are already open or have cracked shells or don’t close again when handled. Discard clams that won’t open during cooking. Always check that the location that you are clamming in is not polluted or affected by red tide. A shellfish license is required to dig.

Kay Goldstein is a cookbook author, poet (Quintet and Vineyard Poets) and freelance writer who lives in Chilmark.