Cherrystone clams: The tasty & nutritional powerhouse

Introduction

This article will discuss what cherrystone clams are, where they are found, how they are harvested and how to prepare and cook them.

Disclosure

Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase.

What are the types of common fresh seafood clams?

There are many different species of clams, but some of the most common include the quahog, geoduck, and razor.

Quahogs are a type of hard-shelled clam that is found in the waters of North America. Quahog clams are more commonly known by other names based on their size. Little Neck: 1 1/2″ – 2″, Cherrystone: under 3″, Top Neck: 3″ – 4″ and Chowder clams: over 4″. All these belong to the same species and they just refer to how large it has grown. The smaller the clam the more tender the meat.

What are cherrystone clams?

Cherrystone clams are a type of hardshell clam that is prized for its sweet, briny flavor. These clams are found in the Atlantic Ocean, in the Great South Bay and in Long Island Sound.

The cherrystone, topneck, and littleneck clams are all the same species of Atlantic hard shells known as quahogs. They get their names from their size. Cherrystone clams are typically about two and a half inches wide. Today, they are still considered a delicacy by many and can be enjoyed cooked or raw. Whether you steam them, bake them, or use them in chowder, these clams are sure to add a delicious seafood flavor to any dish.

The shells were once highly valued and used as currency by Native Americans.

You can find hard-shelled clams along the eastern seaboard of New England, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Clams live in mud and sand along bays and beaches. Because clam waters have a lower salinity than that found in the ocean, they are typically discovered in estuaries, where salt water meets fresh water.

Cherrystone clams are able to burrow, although not very deep, and once settled they tend to stay put.

How are cherrystone clams harvested?

There are two primary methods of commercial cherrystone clam harvesting: rakes and tongs.

Commercial clamming for Chesapeake Bay cherrystone clams is primarily done offshore, via mechanical dredging from a flat-decked boat using a clam rake with a telescopic handle. The head of these rakes has long tines attached to a “basket-like” cage in which the clams are collected.

Bay clamming is also commonly done from a boat using specialized tongs. These long tongs have teeth that look like scissors, and operators use them to comb the sand for clams.

Farming outlets cultivate the shellfish in their natural habitat. It usually takes about three years for a cherrystone clam to reach maturity. If left undisturbed, these specimens can often live upwards of 40 years, but in a farming scenario, they are usually harvested as soon as they hit maturity.

What do cherrystone clams taste like?

Cherrystone clams have tender meats with a mildly sweet flavor and a briny accent.

When raw, cherrystone clams have a firm texture and a briny flavor. When cooked, they become tender and take on a sweet, ocean-like taste. Cherrystone clams can be steamed, grilled, baked, or used in chowder.

How old are the cherrystone clams I buy?

The number of shell growth rings can be used to determine a clam’s age. Clams that are 40 years old or older are chowder size.

Young clams grow at a more accelerated pace than older clams. Spawning generally occurs around the clam’s first year of life, with summer being the typical season. Clams will lay eggs until they are harvested.

It’s difficult to establish the age of a cherrystone because by that time, the rings have grown quite close together and are much fainter. Assume your littlenecks were aged for about 4 years when they were harvested, while the cherrystones were approximately 8 years old.

How do you prepare cherrystone clams?

Make sure to clean your clams before cooking. Rinse them under cold water and scrub with a brush until all the sand is gone.

According to the FDA, you should soak steamer clams in a seawater solution (or salted water made with 1/3 cup of coarse kosher salt and one gallon of water) with 1 cup of cornmeal added to it for several hours. Be sure to use kosher or sea salt instead of regular table salt; the iodine present in table salt will kill the clams before they are boiled.

How do you cook cherrystone clams?

Clams are generally cooked or steamed. Any shells that fail to open or crack as they do so should be discarded. Cherrystone clams are particularly good for clams casino as well as various pasta sauces. Top your dish off with white wine.

Cherrystone steamed clams recipes

Here are three recipes for steamed clams:

Clams Casino

Clams casino is one of the more popular cherrystone clam dishes. It only takes about 30 minutes to prepare. Here’s a simple reciepe:

Clams Casino – Use cherrystone or littleneck clams in clams casino because they are small enough to eat in one bite.

How do you store cherrystone clams?

Refrigerating

Most people don’t realize that clams need to breathe to stay alive. That’s why it’s important to store them in a single layer, covered with a damp cloth in the fridge at 40ºF. Never store clams covered or sealed in plastic, as this will suffocate them. This will help them stay alive and fresh for up to two days. If any clams die before you have a chance to cook them, discard them immediately.

Live, fresh clams can last in the refrigerator for about one to two days. However, if you want to extend their shelf life, you can store them in the freezer. Clams stored in the freezer remain freshest for up to three months. Cooked clams can last up to four days in the refrigerator.

Freezing

You can freeze fresh clam meat either on its own or still in the shell. To freeze individual clams, shuck them and rinse the meat carefully under running water. Drain the clams in a colander and place them in a freezer-safe airtight container.

To prepare clams for freezing within the shell, wash the live clams under cold water before placing them in an airtight plastic bag. Do not rinse clams in warm water, as this will cause the shells to open. The only clams you should freeze are the ones with tightly closed shells—if it’s open, the clam is probably dead and gone bad. Press out all of the air, then seal in an airtight container and freeze.

What are the nutritional benefits of cherrystone clams?

Cherrystone clams are a nutritional powerhouse. Just 3 ounces of cooked clams provide 824% of the daily value for vitamin B12 (over 20x the B12 in 80% lean beef), as well as over 130% of the daily value for iron. It is also crucial to ensure a sufficient iron intake to prevent anemia. Iron deficiency anemia is a growing problem in both the developed and developing worlds. In the United States, around 10 million people suffer from iron deficiency.

Clams are also a good source of vitamin C and potassium, two nutrients that are often lacking in the daily diet.

Furthermore, cherrystone clams are a rich source of magnesium, a mineral that plays an important role in metabolism, nerve and muscle function.

A 100g serving of clams (about 10 small clams) contains 148 calories, 25.5g of protein, 2.0g of fat, and 5.1g of carbohydrates. Clams also contain some cholesterol: about 67mg per 100g serving size.

Here’s an excellent article containing general nutrition advice that goes into detail about the nutritional benefits of clams.

Including cherrystone clams in your diet can have numerous health benefits.

Is cherrystone clam farming sustainable & environmentally friendly?

Shellfish farming, including oysters, clams and mussels, is not considered ecologically harmful. In fact, farmed shellfish can have big environmental benefits, making it a good sustainable seafood option.

Filter feeding

As filter feeders, shellfish can help improve local water quality and restore marine ecosystems. Clam farming is low impact, with no requirement for chemical treatments, use of antibiotics or input of feed. They don’t take up any of the limited space left on land, they don’t require fresh water in their farming, and the greenhouse gas emissions during their production are negligible.

Clams also play an important role in the cycling of nutrients, including nitrogen. When clams are harvested, the accumulated nitrogen is removed from the water. All of this makes clam farming a sustainable seafood option with real environmental benefits.

Clams play an important role in keeping coastal waters clean. These small, filter-feeding animals help to improve water clarity by removing suspended particles from the water. A single littleneck-sized clam can filter 4.5 gallons of seawater per day.

As clams feed, they create currents that move water in and out of the animal. Tiny moving cilia (hair-like structures), which cover the gills, pump water through the clam, drawing it in the incurrent siphon. Suspended particles in the water are captured by the gills and moved to the mouth for ingestion. The cleared water is then ejected from the excurrent siphon.

By this very act of feeding, clams filter phytoplankton (microscopic algae or plants), microorganisms, and detritus. In doing so, they reduce sediment loads and turbidity and remove excess nutrients from inshore coastal waters.

Water that is clearer allows more sunlight to penetrate, which aids in the development of key seagrasses and increases oxygen levels. Filter-feeding clams may also help prevent harmful algal blooms.

Nitrogen

Clams play an important role in the nutrient cycles, including nitrogen. Clams don’t take in nitrogen from their environment; instead, they eat naturally-occurring phytoplankton that utilizes dissolved inorganic nitrogen to grow. Clams obtain nitrogen from their diet and incorporate it into their tissues and shells. When clams are harvested, the water’s existing nitrogen is removed from the water.

Carbon

Clams create a calcium carbonate shell from carbon. The carbon used by clams comes primarily from atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolved in seawater. So, the shells of cultured clams function as a long-term carbon sink.

Clams store carbon in their shells and tissues, as well as processing it while growing. They generate carbon dioxide, like other animals, through respiration. Worms, brittle stars, and other deposit feeders consume the carbon deposited in the sediments as feces.

Some carbon will stay in the form of sediments like shells, fragments, limestone and dolomite. However, the carbon that is found in most plant and animal tissues turns back into carbon dioxide within a few years.

Clams are an important component of a healthy marine ecosystem, and their efforts to preserve our seas should not be overlooked.

Where can you find cherrystone online?

Fulton Fish Market – Opened in 1822, New York City’s Fulton Fish Market is one of the oldest fish markets in the United States.
James Hook & Co. – Founded in 1925. James Hook & Co. is still a family business managed by four siblings of the third generation of the Hook Family.
Citarella – Citarella has been sourcing the freshest seafood since 1912.

Summary

In this article, I covered everything you need to know about cherrystone clams, from how they compare to other common clams, where they are found, how they are harvested, how to cook them, how to store them and the nutritional benefits they offer.