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How to Open a Quahog

(Without Killing Yourself)

Buy yourself a good clam knife at a coastal hardware store if you intend to open a lot of clams. These knives have a thin strong edge which readily penetrates the slot between the shells of a quahog. Lacking a clam knife, you can use a small kitchen knife, but they are not as efficient, and must be used carefully or you can cut yourself.

So here we go: lay the quahog on the palm of your hand with the shell slot facing upward; keep the index finger and the middle finger upright (fig 1).

Take the knife in the other hand and lay the edge of the blade against the slot between the shells (fig 2).

Now here is the whole trick of: you do not exert any pressure with the blade of the knife; you fold the two upright fingers over and press them against the knife blade. This will cause the front of the blade to penetrate between the shells (fig 3).

Move the knife backward slightly until the point of the knife is under the top shell; then slant the point upward and cut the two abductor muscles inside the shell. If you do not keep the knife pointing upward, you will split the clams body ion half. Now lift the clam's top shell upward and, using the point of the knife, rake the clam's mantle inside the top shell and down to the bottom of the shell. Run the knife under the clam's body and sever the bottom muscles. Move the clam around with the point of the knife to make sure its mantles are loose. It is now ready for serving on the halfshell or for cooking.

Courtesy of Clams, Mussels, Oysters, Scallops & Snails by Howard Mitchum