How many varieties of clams are there?

There are about 150 edible types of clams, but only a handful of them are commonly available commercially.

• Hard Clams.
• Mahogany Clams.
• Geoducks.
• Soft-Shell Clams.
• Razor Clams.
• Manila Clams.
• Surf Clams.
• Washington Clams.

What is the biggest clam ever found?

Giant Clam facts

• The largest giant clam ever discovered measured 137 centimetres and weighed around 250kg!
• In centuries before, giant clams were nicknamed ‘man-eating’ clams, due to the belief that they ate divers whole!
• By day, giant clams open their shells so that the algae inside them get a chance to photosynthesise.

Can you eat any type of clam?

Hard-shell clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) go by many names. Littlenecks, topnecks, cherrystones, chowders—they are all the same clam, just different sizes (listed from smallest to biggest). Smaller ones are eaten raw, shucked and on the half-shell, whereas bigger ones are the basis of famed clam chowder.

What is the best type of clam?

Here in the United States, on the West Coast, Manila clams reign supreme, while geoduck and razor clams hold court.

What is the difference between top neck and little neck clams?

Little Neck: The smallest size of clam, amounting to 7-10 clams per pound. Top Neck: These are sometimes also labeled as count neck clams, and they equal roughly 4 clams per pound. Quahog: These big guys are also called chowder clams and weigh in at a mighty 2-3 clams per pound.

Do giant clams still exist?

Tridacna gigas is one of the most endangered clam species. Its range covers the Indo-Pacific, but populations are diminishing quickly, and the giant clam has become extinct in many areas where it was once common.

What is the largest edible clam?

Geoduck Clam
Geoduck Clam: The Giant Edible Clam.

What is the black stuff in clams?

It is the plankton (and other microscopic creatures) eaten by the muscle that are still in its digestive tract when caught and cooked – ie. the undigested remnants the mussel did not have time to digest.

What clams have pearls?

Pearls are made by marine oysters and freshwater mussels as a natural defence against an irritant such as a parasite entering their shell or damage to their fragile body. The oyster or mussel slowly secretes layers of aragonite and conchiolin, materials that also make up its shell.

What is the difference between a quahog and clam?

The Native American name for the hard shell clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) is Quahog (also spelled quahaug, quohog, and others) and the name is unique to the Cape and Islands as well as Rhode Island. Just to confuse matters further, the younger, smallest (barely legal size) quahog is designated Littleneck.