Razor Clams Galore!

The local beaches along Cook Inlet are a wealth of delicious protein, if you know where to look, when to go, how to locate these delicacies. Just looking at this photo makes my mouth water...

These are razor clams, freshly dug at a minus tide at Ninilchik Beach. There are many places along the east side of Cook Inlet where these guys hang out in the easy digging sand. Just about anywhere from Clam Gulch to Anchor Point would be a good place to look. Before going on your own clam safari there are a few items you need to make this a pleasant and rewarding journey.

1. An Alaskan fishing licence. (available at most sporting store locations state wide or on-line through the State of Alaska). This is a most important step. You sure don't want to be caught without one on the beach. Yes, fish and game does check, even when you think you are away from everyone.

2. A tide book. (available at most stores or gas stations on the Kenai Peninsula or just print out a days tides online for the area on Cook Inlet that you are headed for)

3. Implements of capture. There are 2 well known choices. The first being a clam shovel. This is a narrow long shovel with a curve that gets a good grip on the sand and goes down deep. The second choice is a clam gun. This is a cylindrical device that cores the sand bringing up the clam as you pull it back out of the hole. Both work well. Don't think this is easy, it requires some effort and a bit of muscle. Make sure to bring a 5 gallon bucket with you to carry your haul in.

4. Attire. This is not a chore to bring your best Eddie Bauer or Cabela's gear to. I promise you that you will be having fun in the mud and sand and it will stick to you in some amount. Wear rain gear, mud boots and rubber gloves. I used duck tape to tape my gloves to my arm sleeves so that water doesn't run up my sleeve, and I pin my license to the outside of my jacket in case I get carded. That way I don't have to put my hand in my pocket.

Ok. Now you have found yourself on a minus low tide on the beach and you are looking for clams. Well, they are not laying on the beach, that is what you brought the clam gun or shovel for. So, as you wander along the low water you are looking for a divot. A small round indentation about 1/2 inch in diameter, in the mud/sand. After a while you will get the hang of seeing them real easy. Now you kinda want to sneak up on these guys, because they can move fast! Walk softly, looking down...when you see what you are looking for position the gun directly over the indentation, shove and wiggle down, then put your finger over the air hole on the gun to hold pressure and pull up. Release the air hole and dump out the load, hopefully you have found a clam. Not every try results in success so don't get discouraged. With a little practice you will become a pro!

The method for using a clam shovel is this....position the shovel to the Ocean side of the divot. Dig like crazy, usually 3 or 4 shovel loads. Either have a friend, (best method) drop down on the sand and hand dig in the hole, or do it yourself. Be quick!!! The clams can move very quickly and you will want to get a grip on one and pull hard. Their shells are soft so be careful not to squeeze the shell too hard or the shell will break making it more difficult to clean. DO NOT waste a broken shell clam. That is wanton waste and is not good in the eyes of others, in particular fish and game!

Oh, yeah. They are called Razor Clams for a reason. The shells are sharp on the edges. Don't try this without gloves. You will only make that mistake once.

Getting a limit of gems are the easy part! Make sure you have enough energy to clean them, which should be done immediately after coming off the beach. It will require a water source, perferably outside, a sharp fillet knife, and a table. Hot water makes things much easier. Drop the clams into VERY hot water for a minute. Do not let them cook. Pull them out and cool by rinising in cold water. Now you are ready to take off the shells. Go easy along the shell, both sides and they will slide out. There are two parts to the clam, the neck and body. Both are very tasty. Use this link for a short video of a friend of mine who cleans clams in Ninilchik to buy her winter wood stash. She shows what and how to do it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYpJn8Raw2A
Feel free to contact me for more information at buyalaska@gmail.com, I can be found on twitter @gwhizzzel. Happy Clamming!