How to Harvest Razor Clams with Salt | Living off the Land and Sea #14

In this video, we show you how to use a pump sprayer filled with a high-salinity solution to harvest Atlantic razor clams. The video was filmed on Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the winter of 2024.

We can find no written documentation of when the practice originated and who can claim credit for it, although we did find one article that stated the practice originated in Ireland. If this is indeed true, the technique was derived within the last 46 years since razor clams are not native to Europe; the first documented find there was in 1978. In Massachusetts, commercial harvest grew from 137,000 pounds in 2008, to 728,000 pounds in 2018, which could suggest that the technique became common practice sometime within the past decade.

This video also shows you how prepare one of Andy’s favorite ways to prepare razor clams using the following recipe:

Pasta with Razor Clams and Mushrooms
(Serves 2-4)
20 razor clams (1 cup of chopped meat)
1 10-ounce package fresh pasta
1½ cups baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons garlic, diced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of RPFs (red pepper flakes)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup light cream
1/3 cup clam broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese

Wash the clams thoroughly under cold water and then steam them for 1 minute, reserving the broth. Allow to cool and shuck out the meat—a clam knife comes in handy for this. (I removed the gnarly-looking black belly portions and discarded them.) Cut the clams into thin strips.

Add two tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet and place it over medium heat. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, then sauté the mushrooms for about five minutes until they release their liquid. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the butter and wine, then cook for about five minutes until the wine is reduced. Turn the heat to low, and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta.

Now, add the oregano and chopped clams, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about three minutes. Stir in the cream and clam broth, then toss in the cooked pasta. Give it a taste and season with more salt and/or pepper if needed.

Plate and top it off with Parmesan, then garnish with fresh parsley. Bon Appétit!

00:00 How to harvest razor clams with salt
03:00 Recipe for Pasta with Razor Clams and Mushrooms
05:38 Plating the final dish

#razorclams #clam #harvesting

[rascaliwmc]

Thx! Although I've eaten literally thousands of every variation my own prep, steamed, raw, casino, chowders etc, littleneck, top neck & cherry stones in my lifetime so far, I don't knowingly recall having a razor clam. I heard back east, some whole belly fried clams are made w/razor, others say Ipswich are those? Now 9hrs from the Oregon/Washington shores, I'll have to try these out sometime. While clamming back in 80s off the shores of Cockenoe Island, used to stand in 4' water next to our 18' boat, tiretube/basket tethered & scooped up hundreds of clams w/clam rake in an hour & I recall a cpl razors we looked at in the mix. Clueless we were about them, they got tossed back in. Wish I knew then!

[churchwood]

Yes! Andy is back for another one! This video was about 20min too short though.

[Takeakidfishin]

As a lover of seafood this is one I've always been curious to try. Looks fantastic, but wondering how they are fried. Any similarities to fried clams? Definitely not in the belly department like fried whole belly clams.

[Hgdhgfdssxvbbnjoo]

Razor Clams. Never heard of a Sea Moose before

[Dlaw.]

Is this method allowed in Massachusetts...?

[christinetassone]

Poor clams. Do they sell these in stores?