Razor Clams

We had the opportunity to watch a night of "clamming" on the beach last night and were quite mesmerized by the experience. Hundreds of people were out on the beach with clamming tools and waders catching their allotted 15 razor clams. One fellow came up to us and explained the details of clamming. He showed us his 14 razor clams, 2 pounds of meat in his estimation, and went off to find his last clam. An hour later, I found myself ordering freshly caught razor clams (caught by the Quinault Indian tribe) at the Seabrook restaurant... and discovered that they were absolutely delicious when cooked/fried properly.

This recipe is a reminder for me to go out (the next time I'm at the beach) and catch some clams...

Mark’s Pan Fried Panko Clams

15 cleaned razor clams
3 eggs
1 cup of flour
1 cup of panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
Dash (or two or three or four depending on your taste) of sea salt and pepper

First rinse clams, drain and pat dry with a paper towel. Then dip clam pieces into the flour (I add the salt and pepper into the flour), then into the beaten eggs, and roll in the panko. Using on medium high heat, fry the clams in quarter-inch of oil in a pan. Brown the clams for about one minute and then flip them over to brown the other side for just as long. Take out and lay out on paper towels to absorb the grease and serve.

Pan fried razor clams with a gob of tartar sauce! This is the best way because the sweet and tender razor clams must be cooked fast, and if overcooked, they become tough.

Mark Yuasa, The Seattle Times, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/