Clam
Mercenaria mercenaria · Seafood
Top 10 pairings
Mostly dug from sand and mud, clams are shellfish whose two hinged shells clap shut around a sweet, briny, faintly chewy body. Sweeter than an oyster, they're eaten raw, steamed, in chowder or in pasta alle vongole.
Picking a good onedrag
Just harvested, clamped shut, sea-cleanOff: cracked, gaping, sour
Live and shutBuy itCheck the harvest tag: cooking won't destroy algal-bloom toxins. Cook until they open; bin any still shut.
ShellWhole, shut or barely parted
The tapA slight gap snaps shut on a tap
SmellMild and briny, little else