Razor clams are by far my favorite mollusk.  Sure there are the ubiquitous manila clams in some sort of broth with toast points or some other form of bready dipping instrument. Mussels I generally only enjoy if I have pulled them off the rock myself and cooked them shortly thereafter.  I am unfortunate enough to being at odds withe the royal mollusk, the oyster.

There is a hunting season up and down the Pacific coast, and one should check with the locals to find the best clamming spots.  Razor clams are an ellusive find and even though they are legless and inert by the time they get to your plate, they can motivate some speed when they are in their element (sand) and sense the intruding cleave of the hunting shovel digging into their space.

Proper gait must be adorned (the Oregon coast is notoriously wet), sufficient lighting gathered (for the early morning hunting of razor clams), and the tools must be aqcuired.  Now one can hunt with the humble shovel, but  must be quicker than a snake to reach into the freshly excavated whole to capture the prize.  The fastest, easiest way to claim the fifteen clams allotted to you by law is to use a clam gun.

Razor clams will attempt to flee if they sense any movement in the sand around them.  The clam gun is a cyclindrical tube that plunges down around the blow hole of the clam and, before they can dig deeper, pulls up the vertical column of sand it is loitering in.  A little bit of cleaning and a little bit of shucking and the razor clams are ready to enter the kitchen.

Like I said, I love razor clams and will eat these fresh mollusks above almost any other seafood (I come near to fainting in pleasure when I can eat fresh sea urchin).  The frozen clams are really very good as well.  Order some up, come visit duckspoon.com and see how we cook ‘em fried in butter, and see whether you too fall in love with razor clams.