(Found in the South Pacific, giant clams have a diameter of 47 inches and can live for more than 100 years. The size of clams ranges from tiny and not worth trying to eat, up to 440 pounds like the giant clam, which is too big to eat. Pacific Ocean: butter clam, geoduck clam, littleneck clam, manilla clam.Atlantic Ocean/Gulf Coast Clams: cherrystone clam, ©/Quahog/top neck clam, softshell clam (steamers), surf clam.Only a handful of these are pursued as food crops. There are more than 150 different edible species of clams in the world. The total number of living species is about 9,200, representing both marine and freshwater bivalves. Other preparations, such as steamed or grilled clams, should be called just that.īivalves appear in the fossil record first appear in the early Cambrian period, more than 500 million years ago. In these preparations, the bivalves are topped with bread crumbs and other ingredients, and baked. While “on the half shell” means raw shellfish, there are cooked bivalves served on the half shell, such as Clams Casino, clams topped with breadcrumbs, bacon, and green bell peppers Coquilles Saint Jacques and Oysters Rockefeller.

Other kinds of shellfish, such as scallops and mussels, can also be served on the half shell. When bivalves are shucked properly, the meat will be surrounded by its natural juices, which are lost if you scoop them out and put them on a plate. This “on the half shell” presentation enables the diner to pluck the meat from the shell, optionally dip it in the sauce, and bite into the plump mollusk. Some modern presentations use a bed of rock salt. They are shucked*-the top half of the shell is removed-and are most often served on a bed of crushed ice with lemon wedges and mignonette sauce or cocktail sauce. Other bivalves include oysters, mussels, and scallops, but clams and oysters are most often served on the half shell. Where’s your nearest Happy Hour with a good deal for clams on the half shell?Ĭlams are bivalves, aquatic mollusks that have a compressed body with an upper and lower shell, hinged together. The half shell (photos #1 and #2) is the simplest way to serve clams, and it is a delightful, high protein, low calorie, and nutritious dish for lovers of raw seafood. National Clams on the Half Shell Day is March 31st. Clams on the half shell with cocktail sauce and a side of crudites, at The Clam in New York City (photo © The Clam). Clams on the half shell with mignonette sauce, at Casino Clam Bar in New York City (photo © Casino Clam Bar).

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