Thank You: Clams from N. E.

I've just printed out your ideas to bring along in my "cape cod recipe box"

New England clams, fresh dug out of Wellfleet, MA, are briny, sweet, tender, and taste like the freshest ocean breezes! They are not steamers - those are soft shell clams - these are little necks, or cherrystones or as they grow to larger size, called quahogs - good for chowders and "stuffies". They all are the same quahog family, but called by different names based on their size and age. They have a hard thick shell, and the rings on the shell can give you a basic idea of how many years old the clam is - kind of like a tree trunk!

I know plenty of native Cape Codders who open those big huge quahogs and slurp them down whole just like the small ones.

We've tried buying clams down here even at fish markets, and the flavor is just not there, nor the texture.

True Rhodies or Cape Codders like their chowders thin and intensely brothy with the clam liquor - adding just a touch of cream/evap. milk - RhodeIsland clam chowder is JUST the clam broth and juice, NO milk or cream (of course I'm assuming that everyone knows to put potatoes, onions, salt pork or favorite other items) When you go to a restaurant and get served clam chowder that's thick, floury and gluey it's a real disappointment.

It's actually pretty funny - when we go into a restaurant up there and order clam chowder, sometimes we'll ask if the clam chowder is really thick or thin - and invariably the server will gush - OH, YES, we have wonderful THICK chowder (then we know not to order it!!!)

Kind of like living in Florida - if you order key lime pie and it comes out GREEN - you know it's not the real thing!

Well, I've gone on too long on my favorite subject - Cape Cod and seafood.

Thanks again for the new way of looking at clams and scallops.

June