cherrystone clams vs littleneck clams

Range and Habitat . The clams can also help you meet your daily calcium needs. Hard shells are the most common type of clam sold commercially. You will need to purchase the Middleneck size if shipping to those states. Clams are found all over the world, in fresh and saltwaters. Clams either live on the bottom of the waters, or can grow in enclosed areas or substrates. For me, Steamed Clams have turned into a fun and exciting dish to snack on. $12.00 / dozen. (60 pieces) 12 people – 12 lbs. Cherrystone, Topnecks, Littleneck, Countnecks. From to 2 1/2 to 3 inches wide (6 to 7.5 cm), they are called Cherrystones (named after Cherrystone Creek, Virginia.) A 3/4 cup serving of breaded and fried clams from a fast food restaurant contains 87 milligrams of cholesterol, only 7 milligrams more than the steamed version. Once these ingredients are cooked, I add the clams and pour a half bottle of dry white wine into the pan. Gloria likes littleneck clams, but I prefer the larger top neck or cherrystone clams. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is important for eye sight and immune health. The hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), also known as a quahog (/ ˈ k (w) oʊ h ɒ É¡ /; or quahaug), round clam or hard-shell (or hard-shelled) clam, is an edible marine bivalve mollusk that is native to the eastern shores of North America and Central America from Prince Edward Island to the Yucatán Peninsula. Without this process, clams can taste too salty from the salt water. Clams - Live, Hard Shell, Cherrystone, Wild, USA Dozen; Clams - Live, Hard Shell, Cherrystone, Wild, USA Dozen. Some seafood distributors sell cherrystone clams as “Virginia littlenecks,” or “cherrystone littlenecks.” A cherrystone clam is usually slightly larger than a typical littleneck, however, usually measuring about 2.5 inches (about 6.4 cm) across. Whether you're eating them raw or grilling, roasting, or steaming our clams and oysters, we know there's something you'll love. New England style stuffed clams are something I always associate with enjoying outdoors on a nice day but they really work … Check out www.pastaandsauces.com I've got a recipe for white and red clam sauce. Different types of clams each have their own flavor profile and distinct texture, which makes them ideal for their own specific cooking applications. Top Neck - typically eaten raw on the half shell, grilled open or as a baked clam appetizer. Smaller ones won't have enough meat compared to the size of the shell to really work, I think, though if that's all you can find let me know how they work out. The shorter the neck, the more tender the meat. Littlenecks, along with cherrystone clams, are considered the best clams to eat raw, but I only serve them cooked! As long as clams are grown in clean water and harvested properly, they are very safe to eat, according to the Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. Cherrystone: Up to 3 inches in size, are named for Cherrystone Creek, Virginia. Use either one in this recipe. Notify me when the price drops . Littleneck clams, commonly referred to as cherrystone clams and steamer clams in some coastal areas, are moderately sized clams with a hard, grayish shell. In hard shell clams, this siphon is relatively small and short, allowing the clam to close its shell. Cherrystone - eaten raw or most often used for baked clam appetizers such as clams casino. 1/2 cup minced Italian parsley. Clams range in size to very small like the Little Neck ranging in the one-inch range to the Pismo clams, with legal size at 4 1/2 inches. Occasionally I use the large quahog clams in pasta or soup. Next comes the medium-sized cherrystone clam or topneck clam, between 2-3 inches across. They can also be slightly tougher. Others, like quahogs or … @ ValleyFiah- I like to cook steamer clams in a sauté pan over a grill. Skip to the beginning of the images gallery . Clams, canned are small clams which have been cooked then canned. Live. You can drain, then chopped the clams and make clam dip. A cherrystone clam is similar to a littleneck clam in a great many respects. NOTE: Unfortunately, some states (CT, ME, MA, NH, NY, RI, VT) do not allow clams smaller than 1" across the hinge to be shipped into their state. Best raw are tiny littlenecks or mid-sized cherrystones. When clams are not farmed and handled safely, hazards such as pathogens, biotoxins, parasites and pollutants can occur. Fresh littleneck clams can be purchased from most fishmongers, and steaming them is a simple, quick process. The clam, sometimes seen as a poor cousin to the oyster, can also be enjoyed both raw and cooked. Littleneck and Middleneck clams can be steamed, grilled, or eaten raw on the half shell. Look for little neck, cherry stone, top neck, and quahog clams. The longer the neck, the more it has to travel to the surface and work out to become tough. "I open clams with a paring knife, which can be difficult and dangerous; a good alternative is to put the clams on a baking sheet and place them in a 350-degree oven. Cherrystone Aqua-Farms offers grit-free clams, so no purging necessary! Up to 2 1/2 inches wide (6 cm), they are called Littlenecks (named after Littleneck Bay on Long Island, New York.) Chowder - the largest and toughest hard clams. I heat the pan over the fire and sauté butter, garlic, parsley, and shallots in the pan. Cherrystone clams are medium-large hard clams that are traditionally served raw but can also be steamed. To the side you'll see Maine mahogany clams with two littleneck clams on top to show relative sizes. (40 pieces) 6 people – 6 lbs. The mahoganys ranged from 2 1/4 to to 2 1/2 inches across. (200 pieces) How Many Clams in a Bushel Cherrystone clams average about 6 to 10 clams per pound and while littleneck clams average 8 to 12 clams per pound. It is simple to make, but does take several hours to prepare and cook. 4 people – 4 lbs. The clams are now ready for cooking. Add to Cart. Some west coast hard-shelled clams are of distinctly different species. littleneck vs middleneck clams-which are smaller? Details . 1. They can be roundish in shape, or have long rectangular shells (razor clams). Wild. The clams need about 4 years of growth to get to this size. Aquaculture of hard clams in Maine is limited to two farms growing Mercenaria, and remains a focus of research efforts. As nouns the difference between littleneck and cherrystone is that littleneck is a young quahog, or hard clam while cherrystone is (used as a size classification by fish merchants) a ) that is larger than a countneck, littleneck or topneck but smaller than a quahog. Although many people believe fried clams are higher in cholesterol than steamed clams, the difference is minimal. mike frank | Oct 20, 2002 10:56 PM 3. i have a friendly wager with a restaurant owner who is originally from long island and he told me middleneck clams are smaller than littleneck clams.I say this is not true.Can any chowhound out there tell me if i am right or wrong,and what cookbook or book on food i could use as an authoritative source … Use canned clams in place of fresh in a seafood stew. These little clams aren't legal to harvest. Put the clams in clean cold water and set aside for 1 hour to de-salt. The most common type of clams to use are quahogs or cherrystone but I think any large clam would be fine. Cherry stone, also called the Pacific little neck; Manilas, referred to many as steamers; and butter clams. I am partial to littleneck clams and because they ship well they are the most widely available away from the coast. Canned clams are a convenient pantry item to have on hand to make soups, stews, sauces and dips. Cherrystone Clams. (120 pieces) 20 people – 20 lbs. They’re named after Little Neck Bay in Long Island, which used to be a popular clamming location. Mercenaria mercenaria are referred by different names depending on their size. Mahogany clam is the name for small ocean quahogs harvested from Maine’s coastal waters. All clams feed by filtering sea water through a siphon. Whether you choose the smaller littleneck or cherrystone or the larger top neck or quahog, they are all quahogs (pronounced co-hog). This species is found in the sand and mud habitats of the intertidal and sheltered subtidal hard mud and sand. The smallest and sweetest is the Little Neck clam, which measures less than 2 inches across and is about 10 to a pound (it takes its name from Little Neck Bay in New York). Littleneck clams are a good source of vitamins A and C, and also of iron, with 10, 30 and 130 percent of the daily value, respectively, in a 3-ounce portion. At harvesting, littleneck clams range between 1 7/8 and 2 1/8 inches in length, while the much larger cherrystone spans between 2 3/8 and 3 1/8 inches in size. From sweet, tender clams to perfectly salty oysters there's something beautiful about the variety of flavors our products provide. On others, the count (which can also be by weight or by clams to the bushel) puts the cherrystone on the larger side. They can be eaten raw or cooked. Retain the clam liquor or juice for use in soups and sauces for additional flavor. The smallest size is the button, those under 1 7/8 inches long. Clams, oysters, and scallops may be used interchangeably in many recipes, so feel free to experiment. Cherrystone, littleneck, or quahog Mercenaria mercenaria Razor clam Ensis directus. Little Neck - small and tender they are usually steamed open or eaten on the half shell. East-Coast US hard-shelled clams are also known by the names quahog (CO-hog), littleneck and cherrystone. Melt butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Drain the clams. West-Coast hard-shelled clams include the Pacific Littleneck or rock clam, pismo clam and butter clam. This is how to get the sand out of your clams before you cook them. In the order of largest to smaller, these clams are called: Quahogs (Chowderhogs), Cherrystones, Topnecks, Littlenecks, and Countnecks. If you do not have enough preparation time, de-salt for 15 minutes. Cherrystone clams are a bit larger than littleneck clams and they can be used interchangeably. But they live in abundance north of Oregon. Skip to the end of the images gallery . While the quahog is often harvested in shallow water by hand, many times with a clam rake, the ocean quahog lives too deep for harvesting by hand, beyond the intertidal zone, and is harvested by dredging. (Cherrystones are similar to littlenecks but are a tad larger.) There are many different recipes that use cherrystone clams, but the most basic (and typical) New England-style dish is steamed clams with butter. Wild. Clams come in various sizes, scaling from smallest to largest with Littleneck clams, Middleneck clams, Topneck clams, Cherrystone clams, and Quahog clams, otherwise known as Chowder clams. Some just use the terms interchangeably. I usually use little necks or cherry stone clams that I presoaked in brine to get rid of the sand. (Some sources maintain that topneck is a size between littleneck and cherrystone, creating a fourth size.) More often you will find that east coast hard shell clams labelled (smallest to largest) as littleneck (<2 inches), cherrystone (a little larger at about 2 1/2 inches and sometimes called top neck clams) and the quahog, a.k.a large or chowder clam (3 inches). Littleneck Clams.