CLAMMING 101.

Perhaps you have seen them at low tide. Figures up to their knees, slowly working the bottom of the tidal waters of the causeway between East Marion and Orient? Or maybe in Hallock’s Bay? That’s us and our clam kin, in patient, persistent pursuit of clams. 

Yes, you can clam year ‘round.

Cold or warm water, the clams are there, it’s just a matter of if you can stand the water temps. We’ve clammed suited up in chest waders and long, insulated waterproof gloves with snow on the ground. [Note: I need to check with the bay constables / water safety about personal floatation device requirements in winter waters] Admittedly, summertime bring out more clammers, suited up in a little more than swim suits. 

First thing you need is a Shellfish Permit if you’re going to take clams from local waters.

Residents can apply for a $5 yearly pass from Southold Town Hall. If you’re visiting and with a local, you’re allowed to clam on their license, but the total number of shellfish taken is limited per permit. 50 clams/day. Also, clams must be 1” in diameter minimum to be legal. (You can buy a clam key, to measure and be sure)

Next up: a clam rake.

Generally 5-6 feet long, with a basket at the end, and tines spaced one inch apart (for the babies to fall through). If you don’t have a rake, you can clam by feel with your feet! A few years ago on Hallock’s Bay, I saw a local up to his neck at low tide, his head bobbing up and down and frequently disappearing, as he clammed with his feet, and submerged himself to pick them up. As he walked towards shore, he emerged shirtless, holding handfuls of clams with his shorts pockets strained and weighed down, the clams practically pulling his britches off. He just dumped them in his cooler and went out for more. Now that’s OG.

If you’re not quite ready for foot clamming, the basic rake technique is as follows: wade out at low tide to about your knees. Take the rake and pull it towards you, digging just an inch or so below along the sandy bottom. As you pull the rake, rocks, shells, crabs and whatnot will roll with you. When you hit a clam, though, it sticks in place. Something that doesn’t easily move, it’s likely to be a clam (though, at a point in Greenport’s history, it was a center for brick-making, so sometimes what you think might be a clam turns out to be a submerged chunk of old brick or larger rock.)

After a while, you get a feel for what is and what is not clam. And eventually you will be able to tell if you’ve got more than one. After feeling something clam-like, back your rake up a few inches and dig down a little deeper to dislodge it, as you pull the rake forward, you need to scoop to the side so it falls into the basket. Lift up, shake the debris in the water, small rocks, shells, sand, seaweed falls away and jostling there in your basket, a beautiful quahog. 

If you’ve come prepared, you may have a clam basket.

and a floating ring by your side, attached by cord to a belt loop so it doesn’t float away. Or a mesh bag you can wear to drop your clams and keep them submerged while you rake for more. 

From a food safety perspective, you never want to pull clams and put them out on the shore in the sun, or on the deck of a boat — keep them bagged and underwater while clamming, if in a floating basket while clamming rotate the tops and bottoms, but best to put them directly in a covered cooler on ice or ice blocks as soon as possible. Never store in a container filled with fresh or bay water. Fresh water will kill them, and bay water will lose oxygen and will get stale. Ice or ice blocks are the way to go. There is a naturally occurring bacteria called Vibrio present in all Long Island waters, though it is more prevalent further back West. Not storing clams properly gives that bacteria a chance to multiply and can make you sick. See more on Vibrio and safe handling here from the DEC.

If you’re not raking them yourself, you can always buy.

There are stringent shellfish handling requirements for commercial shellfishing, buying and selling. Product for sale must note the time the first shellfish was taken out of the water, where, by whom and temperatures must be maintained. What you’d get at a fish market or restaurant would have come tagged by the commercial shellfisher to show it’s been properly handled. Alice’s Fish Market in Greenport and Southold Fish Market (aka Charlie’s) both carry local clams from Long Island, though they are likely sourced mid-island. 

For clamming supplies, and any boating needs,

check out Preston’s Chandlery. Since 1880, they’ve been outfitting the East End.