Hard clam
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- For the fictional city of Quahog, Rhode Island on the TV show Family Guy see Quahog (Family Guy).
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| Mercenaria mercenaria Linnaeus, 1758 |
The hard clam or quahog, Mercenaria mercenaria is a bivalve mollusc native to the eastern shores of North America, from Prince Edward Island to the Yucatán Peninsula. Older sources may give it the systematic name Venus mercenaria. It is one of many unrelated bivalves referred to as clams.
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[edit] Distribution
Hard clams are quite common throughout New England, north into Canada, and all down the Eastern seaboard of the United States to Florida, but are particularly abundant between Cape Cod and New Jersey, where seeding and harvesting them is an important commercial form of aquaculture; for example, the species is an important member of the suspension-feeding, benthic fauna of the lower Chesapeake Bay, while tiny Rhode Island, situated right in the middle of "quahog country," has supplied a quarter of the USA's total annual commercial quahog catch. The quahog shell is the Rhode Island state shell. The species has also been introduced and is farmed on the Pacific coast of North America and in Great Britain and continental Europe. It reproduces sexually.
[edit] Alternative names
The hard clam has many alternative names in addition to quahog. It is also known as the Northern Quahog, round clam or chowder clam. Furthermore, in fishmarkets there are specialist names for different sizes of hard clam, corresponding to their different sizes. The smallest clams are called littlenecks, next size up are topnecks, above that are the cherrystones and the largest are called quahogs or chowder clams. Of all these names, the most distinctive is Quahog (pronounced "KO-hog", IPA /kohɑɡ/ (never as "kwag", or "kwa-HOG" IPA /kwɑhɑɡ/). This name comes from the Narragansett word "poquauhock" (the word is similar in Wampanoag and some other Algonquian languages), and as New England Indians made valuable beads called wampum from the shells (especially the purple color), the species name mercenaria is related to the Latin word for "money".
Many areas where aquaculture is highly important have taken to breeding specialized versions of these clams, in an attempt to distinguish themselves in the marketplace. These clams are in every way the same as others, except that their shells bear distinctive markings; for example those from Wellfleet, Massachusetts have pronounced wavy or zigzagging lines on their shells, which are meant to be reminiscent to a line of Ws running across the shell - an attempt to capitalize upon the town's reputation for oysters. Additionally as of late those that have been specialy bread with markings have been breeding with wild stocks, so it is not uncommon for wild clams to have these markings.
[edit] QPX
QPX, otherwise known as Quahog Parasite Unknown, is a parasite that affects Mercenaria. While little is known about the disease, research is currently underway in several laboratories, fueled by the need to inform aquaculturists, who suffer financially because of the mortality rates in clams that QPX inflicts and the ensuing years in which runs must be left fallow to clear the disease.
[edit] Culinary use
In coastal areas of New England, restaurants known as raw bars specialize in serving littlenecks and topnecks raw on an opened half-shell, usually with a cocktail sauce with horseradish, and often with lemon. Sometimes, littlenecks are steamed and dipped in butter, though not as commonly as their soft-shelled clam cousin, the "steamer". Littlenecks are often found in-the-shell in sauces, soups, stews, "Clams casino", or substituted for European varieties such as the cockle in southern European seafood dishes. The largest clams, Quahows or Chowders & cherrystones, with the toughest meat, are used in such dishes as clam chowder, stuffed clams, or are minced and mixed into the dishes that use the smaller more tender clams.
[edit] Preparation and cooking
Hard clams are entirely edible, unlike sea clams whose stomachs must first be removed. Overall they are fairly easy to prepare and require little preparation, often no more than a rinse, though sometimes it is a good idea to purge these clams by putting them in salt water with a little corn starch which will reduce the amount of grit in the clams. However this may be unnecessary as many markets and shellfishers purge the clams themselves; purchasers should ask the market if they are partially sandy and if they have been purged.
By far the easiest way to prepare these clams is to steam them, and this is highly recommended for those who have little experience. It is worth shucking these clams, as they can close up fairly tightly and unless you are experienced it is quite easy to cut yourself quite badly because the lips of the shells can break as pressure is applied. If you want to use them in a sauce the best thing to do is to steam them just until they open up then take them and add them to the sauce at the last possible minute, as they toughen up if they are overcooked. If you want them to be fully cooked and served separately, just keep checking the pot until they are open and then time them for about 2-5 minutes depending upon the size of the clams. If a clam isn't open after steaming it do not eat it, since it may be spoiled. This is particularly important when eating clams at a restaurant, as often those served at restaurants are not as fresh as those bought at a market.
If you feel determined to have them fresh on the halfshell, which is highly recommended, you will first need a clam knife. Hold the knife in your dominant hand, and in your other hand position the clam with its lip facing out towards your fingers and the hinge facing in. Apply the knife carefully in the groove between the two lips, and use your fingers to apply steady pressure to the back of the knife. Do not try to use your knife hand; this increases the chance of slipping. Simply squeeze the knife in and use it to cut the two muscles holding the clam closed. If you are careful you can run the knife along the roof of the clam and sever these muscles without cutting the meat. Next simply cut the other ends of these muscles, apply a little of cocktail sauce and put the clam to your lips and throw your head back. Do not suck. If you are trying this for the first time or are not good at it, a heavy glove for the hand holding the clam is highly recommended, though those who are proficient often do it barehanded since this allows a greater degree of control. If you are looking for a leg up on these clams, ice them first as this causes the muscles to relax, and never handle the clams roughly before trying to open them as this is a recipe for frustration of even the most deft. If all else fails there is a "backdoor": apply the knife to the hinge in the back and work it until you break the hinge, or, if you have one laying about, use a mallet the drive the knife through the hinge.
One easy way of preparing these clams, for those who like to keep things simple yet tasty, is to take a handful of littlenecks or cherrystones and wrap them in tinfoil with a little butter and garlic, maybe some chopped parsley and throw these onto a grill, and simply check on these from time to time until they open and then enjoy. This perfect for individual servings and as appetizers, and there is next to no cleaning up.
If you harvest the clams yourself make sure to avoid any areas with red tide warnings. To do otherwise is at your own risk; if you eat clams from such an area and feel tingling in your lips you should seek prompt medical attention. Clams that are bought from a market should always be red tide free as commercial harvesters are extremely careful with this; they will close beds that are even remotely threatened and will keep them closed for up to three or four weeks after they are clean of any red tide for safety. Any commercial clam fisher who breaks these rules is in line for a major fine in the first instance and will most likely have their license to harvest or sell clams revoked; furthermore they would be liable for any damages. Overall you are much more likely to get sick from meat than from eating clams, as long as you do not have an allergy to shellfish.
[edit] Popular culture references
The Quahog achieved prominence in popular culture in the animated television show Family Guy, which takes place in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island, which was named after this legendary clam and of which the clam is the official mascot.
It is also referenced in one of bassist Stu Hamm's song "Quahogs, Anyone?"
On the Howard Stern radio show, Hank the Dwarf once remarked that "Politicians have the brain of a retarded quahog with brain damage."
