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Nancy's Razor Clam-a-Rama

Lucky Nancy.  The other day a friend of her son's showed up at her door bearing a dozen razor clams fresh from Ocean Shores.   That's some massive clammage but Nancy knew what to do with them.

"There was a Youtube video.  You know what they said to do, and it really worked?  You you run some boiling water over them and they pop open a bit and it's very simple to get a knife or some kitchen shears in there."

Washington Fish and Wildlife has an online razor clam cleaning tutorial, too.  Which is more like a day in biology class than I expected.  Those razors have a lot more disposables than Manilas.  But it's worth the trouble because then you've got some ready to cook razor clams. 

My own wife, "Clammity" Cheryl DeGroot would probably just rip them open with her bare hands.  The woman loves clams of all kinds.  As I told Nancy "When baby clams misbehave their mothers threaten them with Cheryl DeGroot."  But I digress. 

Here's what Nancy did with them, courtesty of Jess Thomson's Dishing Up Washington

Creamy Razor Clam Linguine with Parsley and Chives (4-6 servings) 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 cup heavy cream 3/4 pound linguine or other long pasta 1 1/2 cups razor clam meat, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces Salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 2. Heat the oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is tender and begins to sputter, about a minute. Add the wine and cream, bring to a simmer, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. 3. After you add the wine and cram, add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta, but do not rinse. 4. Add the clams to the reduced sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer until the clams are just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. (They really don’t take long to cook.) 5. When the pasta is done, transfer it to the pan with the cream, then add the chives, parsley, and Parmesan. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce. Transfer the noodles to bowls, spoon the sauce and clams on top, and serve immediately, topped with additional Parmesan, if desired. -- from “Dishing Up Washington” by Jess Thomson

"Keep clam."

– Ivar

Dick Stein joined KNKX in January 1992. He retired in 2020 after three decades on air. During his storied radio career, he hosted the morning jazz show, co-hosted and produced "Food for Thought" with Nancy Leson and wrote and directed the Jimmy Jazzoid live radio musical comedies and 100 episodes of Jazz Kitchen.