In celebration of Memorial Day, I thought it might be nice to share our steamed clams recipe with you all…because it is just THAT good.
There is a little trick to making our clams, however. Have you ever bit into a clam and instead of experiencing delicious flavor you got a mouthful of sand? Yeah. Me too. And it’s gross. When that happens to me, all of a sudden I no longer want another one because I’m expecting it to happen with any others I may eat in that sitting.
I LOVE clams. Like LOVE, LOVE them.
So when I get a gritty, sandy clam, it’s a real letdown.
Well, fear no more. I have the solution–burping clams. Basically the trick is to submerge your clams in ice water and baking soda, and the clams will begin to spit out the nasty grit. I’m not even joking, you will be able to see them spitting out the sand.
My fiancé and I prefer to cook with Mahogany clams because they’re meatier than the Little Neck or Top Neck’s.
Before you begin to steam your clams, please make sure to do this. You will save yourself from an unsatisfying meal and a mouthful of sand.
Please excuse the photographs. We were camping this Memorial Day weekend, so they aren’t done as professionally as I would have liked.
If you’re interested in our steamed clams recipe, click here for the instructions.
Time: 2 Hours 10 Minutes (Don’t worry; the actual prep time is only 10 minutes. The burp time is 2 hours.)
Serving Size – 1 bushel of clams (300 clams)
Ingredients:
- Large cooler
- 20 lb. bag of ice
- 1 bushel of clams (300 clams) – We prefer the Mahogany clams.
- Baking soda
- Water (I used the water from a hose because it works a bit easier.)
Directions:
- Rinse out a large cooler.
- Rinse down the bag of clams with a hose.
- Place clams inside the cooler.
- Coat the top with baking soda. Don’t be afraid. Be generous with the amount.
- Dump the 20 lb. bag of ice over the clams.
- With the hose, fill the cooler with water until the clams are fully submerged.
- Sprinkle additional baking soda over the top.
- With your hand, swoosh the clams around so the baking soda has a way to reach the clams on the bottom of the cooler.
- Close the cooler lid.
- Let the clams burp for about 2 hours.
- Once the clams have finished burping, the are ready for cooking!
Below please find the step-by-step process with photos.
Rinse out a large cooler. Rinse down the bag of clams with a hose.
Place clams inside the cooler.
Coat the top with baking soda. Don’t be afraid. Be generous with the amount.
Coat the top with baking soda. Don’t be afraid. Be generous with the amount.
With the hose, fill the cooler with water until the clams are fully submerged.
Sprinkle additional baking soda over the top. With your hand, swoosh the clams around so the baking soda has a way to reach the clams on the bottom of the cooler. Close the cooler lid. Let the clams burp for about 2 hours. Once the clams have finished burping, the are ready for cooking!
