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Post by Admin on Aug 27, 2022 9:36:01 GMT
Oregon Coast softshell clam advisor: Washington State Shellfish WarningsCalifornia shellfish advisories Oregon's Shellfish Hot Line OR CALL Phone: 800-448-2474 or Alt Phone: 503-986-4728. For the Record: it was our lobby effort before the ODFW Commission that was responsible for the adoption and implementation of Oregon's Shellfish Hotline...We earned the credit for a job Well Done.... BillThe Oregon Health Authority has issued an advisory for softshell and gaper clams along the entire Oregon Coast because the clams may contain high levels of naturally occurring arsenic. If you believe that the State of Oregon has the Health of our State Waters or the safety of us at heart then think again: They don't! When it comes to the health of our State Waters the State of Oregon is a miserable failure! Oh Boy! for years the State of Oregon understated the level of contamination and toxins in purple varnish and softshell clams and Martha Washington clams commonly referred to as butter clams...
Bladder cancer is a leading cause of death in Coos County... Even though my friend Dutch lived to be 97; he battled balder cancer the last half of his life as have many of his immediate family members. His mother, brother and sister died from balder cancer after all of them ate gaper clams harvested from Coos Bay most of their lives. Dutch and his dad were avid clam diggers and gaper clans were their favorite... Exposure to arsenic is a leading cause of balder cancer
Consider: the State of Oregon spent 45 million dollars to build a State of the Art testing facility, that is operated jointly by the Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Health Authority in the city of Hillsboro; so, why does Oregon refuse to test the aquatic invertebrates for the level of contaminates and toxins they are know to contain? What is the difference in the level of contamination between cleaned gaper clams with the outer skin removed and cleaned gaper clams with the outer white layer of skin intact? Does the cleaning method make a difference in the level of contaminates clam diggers consume?
Oh Boy! What to do now that we have dug the clams? To begin with the regulation forcing clam diggers to keep clams with broken shells is problematical. Spoilage and contamination are the result of heat and improperly stored clams. The problems occur when the clams with broken shells die and bacteria begins to grow. The clams with broken shells should be cleaned as soon as possible to minimize bacteria growth, spoilage and cross contamination. Store the partially cleaned clam meat in plastic bags or containers and then store them in a cooler surrounded by ice for the trip home. State recommended Shellfish Handling, Storing, and Cooking guidelines The State Guidelines fall well short of archiving their goals in addition as stated the guidelines fail to adequately. protect the public...Bill
Once home, make the effort to finish cleaning the clams from broken shell followed by cleaning the clams with whole shells with intact shells. The limits for softshell and purple varnish clams are liberal; but if there are any doubts our questions concerning the health of any clam throw it away after leaving the digging area. Softshell clams: Clamming with ODFW
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Post by Admin on Aug 27, 2022 9:51:57 GMT
The proper cleaning and preparation of gaper clams begins while they are being dug. Thoroughly wash the loose sand from the gaper clams. Do not be fooled by dead clams. The shells of dead clams are often stuck together by hardened sand/mud. There are two methods used to clean gaper clams. If the clams are going to be fried place the washed clams in a cooler on top a bag of crushed ice immediately after digging. Immediate cooling of the clams aids the cleaning process described in the first method which eliminates the periostracum and the first layer of skin contaminated with arsenic.
Gaper clams cleaned using the following method are so good, it places them even with the culinary attributes of razor clams when it comes to taste, texture and tenderness. Most of Oregon’s bays have fish cleaning stations where the clams can be cleaned. Icing the clams and cleaning the clams immediately ensures the clams are fresh and tender when the clams are fried. The clams cleaned using this method do not require pounding. To clean the clams, hold a clam level in your left hand with the neck (siphon tube) of the clam pointed toward you. Turn the clam with the hinge side upward to a 45–degree angle. Insert the point of a sharp knife between the clam’s upper shell and the clam meat at the junction of the gape where the clam’s shells come together. Cut up and around the clam’s neck gently cutting through the abductor muscles separating the mantel from the shell Rotate the clam gently cutting the meat from the shell running the knife between the clam’s mantel and the clam shell. Turn the clam over and repeat the process. At no time should you apply pressure with the knife. Cut the clam away from the shell and not yourself. Once the clam is free from the shell, wrap your fingers around the clam's neck and hold the clam in your left hand as shown in photo No. 1 of the photo array. The mantle will be on the left side of the clam and the gills will be on the right side of the clam. Insert the tip of a blade from a knife between the gills and the body. Cut downwards cutting the gills away from the clam’s body as shown in photo No. 2. Hold the neck in your left hand and pull the gills away from the neck with your right hand discarding the gills. Turn the body with the cut side up in your left hand as shown in photo No. 3. Insert the point of the knife into the base of the clam’s body cutting through the body butter flying the body exposing the digestive track as shown in photo No. 4 and 5. Scrape away the digestive track with the knife blade as shown in photo No. 6. The body should now be fairly free of the dark colored visceral flesh as shown in photo no 7. Peel the dark color
Photos by Brandon Williams
  
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Post by Admin on Sept 2, 2022 21:08:44 GMT
Photos by Brandon Williams
  
skin from the mantles pulling it downward toward the base of the neck past the large wrinkle of white skin where the mantles are attached to the neck as shown in photos No. 8 and 9 as shown on the next panel.
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Post by Admin on Sept 2, 2022 21:26:51 GMT
Photos by Brandon Williams   Hold the neck in your left hand and insert the knife blade into the siphon tube that the mantles are attached to as shown in photo No. 10. Continue cutting through the siphon tube as shown in photo no.11.
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Post by Admin on Sept 3, 2022 4:44:48 GMT
Photos by Brandon Williams
  
Use a very sharp knife to score the surface of the neck cutting it from side to side but barely cutting through the top layer of white skin at the base of the wrinkle at the base of the neck where the mantles joins the neck. Stick your thumbnail under the edge of the cut layer of thin white skin pulling it and peeling it toward the tip of the neck as far as possible as shown in photo No. 12, 13, 14 and 15.
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Post by Admin on Sept 3, 2022 4:45:26 GMT
Photos by Brandon Williams
  
Using a sharp knife fillet the dark skin from the neck as shown in photo No.16. Using scissors cut off the tip of the neck as shown in photos' No. 17. Thoroughly wash and trim any remaining guts and gills from the clam as shown in photos' No. 18 and you are ready to cook your clams.
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Post by Admin on Sept 3, 2022 4:51:28 GMT
Photos by Brandon Williams 
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Post by Admin on Sept 3, 2022 4:54:56 GMT
The second method used to clean gaper clams occurs once you are home. Place all of the clams in a 5 gallon bucket and cover them with tepid freshwater. Place the bucket in the sun and soak the clams until they have fully extended their necks loosening the brown periostracum skin, a process that takes about 4 hours.
While cleaning the clams do not be surprised to find two small pea crabs. Gaper clams have a commensal relationship with the pea crabs. The clams provide the harmless crabs with a home and meals for which the clam receives nothing in return. To clean the clams, hold a clam level in your left hand with the neck of the clam pointed toward you. Turn the clam with the hinge side upward to a 45 degree angle. Insert the point of a sharp knife between the clam’s upper shell and the clam meat at the junction of the gape where the clam’s shells come together. Cut up and around the clam’s neck gently cutting through the abductor muscles separating the mantel from the shell. Rotate the clam gently cutting the meat from the shell running
 Click on the image to enlarge it...
the knife between the clam’s mantel and the clam shell. Turn the clam over and repeat the process. At no time should you apply pressure with the knife. Cut the clam away from the shell and not yourself. Separate the clam’s neck from the body and foot by grasping the mantle where it is joined to the body at the abductor muscle. Pull the mantle away from the clam’s body separating the clam’s neck from the body while retaining the mantle with the clam’s neck. Place the clam necks in a bowl of hot tap water for an additional 30 minutes.
The essence of the delicate but distinctive flavor of gaper clams is contained in the white creamy flesh in the clam’s body and to a lesser extent the digger foot. The unique flavor of Oregon’s Clam chowder or Oregon’s fried gaper clams are an unforgettable taste treat that will have you digging for more. Clean the clam’s body and digger foot by cutting the gills away from the body using a pair of scissors or a knife. Split the clam’s body and scrape away any of the dark gut flesh and remove the small intestine. Thoroughly wash and refrigerate the clam’s body and digger foot.
After soaking the clam necks in hot water peel the loose leathery skin away beginning at the tip of the clam’s neck as shown above, cut and discard the end of the darkened tip from the clam’s neck. There are two siphon tubes that extend inside the length of the clam’s neck. Insert the bottom blade of a pair of scissors into the siphon tube attached to the mantle. Cut through the inner wall of the siphon tube into and through the walls of the other siphon tube.
Retain the mantel with the neck for frying or cut the mantel away and combine it with the digger feet and bodies for use in Oregon’s clam chowder. Use a stiff bristle brush to remove the rust colored stain from the white skin to enhance their eye appeal.
If the clams are going to be fried peel the layer of tough white skin from the neck as previously described in the first method.
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Post by Admin on Oct 5, 2022 20:24:04 GMT
Cleaning Softshell ClamsClams taken from clams with broken shells taste every bit as good as those taken from clams with unbroken shells. The shells of softshell clams are very fragile and easily broken. Clam diggers are required to keep all softshell clams regardless of size or condition. Approximately a half a dozen of the softshell clams shown in the photos had broken shells. Clean the clams with broken shells as soon as able to do so. The clams with broken shells must be cleaned separately because the clam meat when exposed to the boiling water during the blanching process overcooks easily.
Pick the pieces of broken shell off of the clams with broken shells and cut the whole clam away from the unbroken half as shown in the photos. The removal of the skin from around the neck of softshell clams is the reason the clams are blanched with boiling water. Notice the clams from the broken shells are lowered into a large stock pot in a net bag for approximately five seconds to blanch the periostracum to loosen the skin from the clam’s neck. Notice the shriveled periostracum skin around the necks of the clams in the bowl. The clams in the net cotton bag are quickly blanched before being submerged in the cold water of the kitchen sink to stop the clams from cooking...
   Cleaning softshell clams with a knife is similar to cleaning gaper clams but more difficult because of the problems encountered removing the periostracum from the softshell clam’s neck because some of the periostracum skin remains on the siphon tube. Blanching the unbroken softshell clams is the most efficient method to clean the clams. Whenever blanching clams never fill the pot more than half full of water; in addition, keep children and pets away from pots of boiling water.To clean the clams Immerse them into a pot of boiling water until the shells pop open. The time the clams take to open depends to some extent the size and the number of clams, somewhere about 30 seconds, so keep an eye on the clams. Once the clams begin popping open, immediately remove the immersion basket from the boiling water and empty the clams into the cold water in the kitchen sink to stop them from cooking as shown in the photos.
Separate the softshell clam meat from the clams that have popped open. Use a paring knife to open the softshell clam that did not open. Run the blade of the knife between the mantle and the shell cutting through the abductor mussels. Clean the clam’s neck as shown in the photographs. 9 Cut the clam’s body from the clam’s mantel using a pair of scissors. 10 Pull the periostracum skin from the mantle down and 11 over the clam's neck pinching the skin between your thumb nail and the index finger. 12 Improve the eye appeal of the clams by brushing the dark pigment from the clam’s neck using a stiff bristle brush. Brushing the clams siphon tube removes any of the remaining contaminated periostracum. Rinse the clams in running water. 13 Butterfly cut the clam’s neck by inserting the bottom blade from a pair of scissors into the bottom siphon tube of the clam’s neck cutting through the wall of the siphon tubes. 14 The clam’s necks are ready for cooking. Not shown in the photo array is using a pair of scissors to cut the dark tip of the clam's siphon tubes.The bodies and digger foot of softshell clams are too small for me to take the time necessary to clean them so I discard them. However for those who choose to use the bodies and digger feet Remove the gills by snipping the face of the stomach using a pair of scissors. Snipping the gills and the skin off the face of the stomach facilitates removal of the visceral material and crystalline style. Grasp the clam’s body with your left thumb and index finger and squeeze the gut bag with your thumb and index finger of your right hand to force the digestive track out. Split the body and remove the remaining dark flesh. The clams bodies are ready for cooking or freezing. The Smaller softshell clams are excellent when served as steamer clams and the larger clams are excellent either fried whole or minced for clam chowder, clam fettuccine or clam ravioli.
Additional Recommendation: It is at this point in the cleaning process where we recommend testing the cleaned clams to determine the level of contaminates contained in the clam's neck and bodies. We need to know if the level of contaminates found in the body of the clams are present at greater levels than the level of contaminates present in the Clam's neck for all species of clams consumed by recreational clam diggers. As long as the State is going to allow the harvest of shellfish recreational shellfish harvesters must know the level of contamination we are consuming.
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Post by Admin on Oct 5, 2022 20:59:59 GMT
   To clean the clams Immerse them into a pot of boiling water until the shells pop open. The time the clams take to open depends to some extent the size and the number of clams, somewhere about 30 seconds, so keep an eye on the clams. Once the clams begin popping open, immediately remove the immersion basket from the boiling water and empty the clams into the cold water in the kitchen sink to stop them from cooking as shown in the photos. Separate the softshell clam meat from the clams that have popped open. Use a paring knife to open the softshell clam that did not open. Run the blade of the knife between the mantle and the shell cutting through the abductor mussels. Clean the clam’s neck as shown in the photographs. 9 Cut the clam’s body from the clam’s mantel using a pair of scissors. 10 Pull the periostracum skin from the mantle down and 11 over the clam's neck pinching the skin between your thumb nail and the index finger. 12 Improve the eye appeal of the clams by brushing the dark pigment from the clam’s neck using a stiff bristle brush. Brushing the clams siphon tube removes any of the remaining contaminated periostracum. Rinse the clams in running water. 13 Butterfly cut the clam’s neck by inserting the bottom blade from a pair of scissors into the bottom siphon tube of the clam’s neck cutting through the wall of the siphon tubes. 14 The clam’s necks are ready for cooking. Not shown in the photo array is using a pair of scissors to cut the dark tip of the clam's siphon tubes. The bodies and digger foot of softshell clams are too small for me to take the time necessary to clean them so I discard them. However for those who choose to use the bodies and digger feet Remove the gills by snipping the face of the stomach using a pair of scissors. Snipping the gills and the skin off the face of the stomach facilitates removal of the visceral material and crystalline style. Grasp the clam’s body with your left thumb and index finger and squeeze the gut bag with your thumb and index finger of your right hand to force the digestive track out. Split the body and remove the remaining dark flesh. The clams bodies are ready for cooking or freezing. The Smaller softshell clams are excellent when served as steamer clams and the larger clams are excellent either fried whole or minced for clam chowder, clam fettuccine or clam ravioli. Additional Recommendation: It is at this point in the cleaning process where we recommend testing the cleaned clams to determine the level of contaminates contained in the clam's neck and bodies. We need to know if the level of contaminates found in the body of the clams are present at greater levels than the level of contaminates present in the Clam's neck for all species of clams consumed by recreational clam diggers. As long as the State is going to allow the harvest of shellfish recreational shellfish harvesters must know the level of contamination we are consuming. |
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