Soft-shell Clam
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Soft-shell Clams, Mya arenaria, popularly called "steamers", "softshells", "longnecks" or "Ipswich clams", are clams that live buried in tidal mudflats most famously on the coast of New England but their range extends much farther north to Canada and to the Southern states. These clams have a hard calcium shell, but it is very thin and easily broken, so they are called "soft-shells" in contrast with their beach neighbors the thick-shelled quahogs.
They live just under the surface of the mud and extend a "neck" up to the surface of the mud and use it to draw in marine water which they filter for food before expelling it. Walking on the beach near the edge of the water at low tide you can often see the holes where the clams feed when the tide is higher. The pressure of your weight on the sand will often cause the clam to visibly "squirt" water out the hole. These holes are helpful in locating the clams for digging. After digging, and before cooking, it is generally recommended that clams be stored in saltwater for a few days so they will expel sand from their guts. Some people recommend adding cornmeal to the water to give them something to draw in.
Soft-shell clams are eaten steamed, fried, or in clam chowder. Steamers are an integral part of the New England clam bake, where they are served steamed whole in the shell, then pulled from the shell at the table and dipped, first in the clam broth they were cooked in to rinse away sand, then in butter.
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