Steamers are tender and sweet. Having them dipped in butter is one of the best ways to enjoy them. Steamers are considered to be softshell steamer clams because their shells are brittle. You can recognize them from the siphons that stick out. Almost like a geoduck but not as large.
Cooking them is easy. Much easier than cooking hardshell. Like most things, it’s all about the prep.
Prep
- Toss any cracked or damaged shells in the trash.
- Fill a big bowl with cold water and a handful of corn meal. Dump the steamers into the mix. The corn meal helps agitate the dirt off the shells.
- Add some salt and mix the clams while being gentle until cleaned.
- Leave them alone in the water for about 1 hour then drain.
- Rinse them off and check for dead clams. Some clams will open up. If you touch them and they stay open, they are dead. Throw those in the trash.
Cooking Clams
Boiling
- Do not over cook them.
- In a big pot, fill it half way with water and bring to a boil.
- Cook them until the shells pop open wide.
Steaming
- Steaming them is even better. Same rules.
- In a big pot, fill it it up 1/4 of the way and bring to a boil.
- Cook them until the shells pop open wide.
Cooking them should only take 10 minutes.
