Flex your Mussels! and other shellfish stuff

One of the things I find most enjoyable about living in the Willamette Valley is being so close to the Oregon coast. It only takes an hour in the car before you can hear sea gulls and breathe in the salty sea air. Growing up, trips to the coast usually entailed exploring tide pools and munching on clam chowder and garlic toast at Mo's. Picking out various kinds of saltwater taffy to bring home as a tasty treat was another favorite activity. However, these days the thing that gets me most excited about the Oregon coast isn't sweets or chowder, but the vast amount of easily accessible wild foods.


Since late 2007, I've been really excited by the idea of digging clams. The word "clam" can refer to any kind of bivalve mollusk, but usually in the United States it refers specifically to those that burrow in mud and sand. Lucky for us Oregonians, there are six kinds of delicious clams that can be found on our coast! The Oregon clams are:

• The Razor, the most delicious and most difficult to catch
• The Gaper, also called the Empire clam, which can grow to weigh up to five pounds
  
• The Softshell, a non-native clam that was transplanted to the Pacific coast in the late 1800s
  
• The Cockle, a large clam known for its ridged shell
  
• The Littleneck, a small clam that is also known as a Steamer
  
• The Butter, the most scarce of the clams found in Oregon

Digging clams is a low-cost activity that provides good fun and great food. A digging expedition requires just a few things. Probably the most important is that everyone in your party purchase a shellfish license. You can get a shellfish license at most sporting good stores and at stores like BiMart. Be sure to bring in your driver's license, and you will need to know your social security number if you have never had a hunting or fishing license before. An Oregon shellfish license costs only $6.50 for residents and is good through the end of the year. You will also need a shovel or a rake, depending on the kind of clam you're going after, and a bucket to store your clams in. Rain gear and weather boots are always recommended for outdoor activities at the coast. Wear clothes that can get muddy!

Clam beds, the areas where a bunch of clams are hanging out, can be found up and down the Oregon coast. If you find yourself at the coast and are interested in digging clams, probably the easiest and best way to find out where the clam beds are is to ask a local. Ask around and someone will be able to point you in the direction of the biggest and tastiest clams. I would recommend going after softshell clams, as they are relatively easy to dig and can be found near most of Oregon's main coastal towns.

Acquired your gear and located a clam bed and now wondering what to do? Tromp down to the bed an hour before a minus low tide. On the exposed mud you should see some small holes, about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. These are likely clam shows, or the hole the clam sticks its neck through to feed. To make sure that this is a clam show, stick your finger in the hole. This will disturb the clam if there is one, and you will feel its neck retract.

Now start digging! Start approximately 6 inches from the clam show. You may have to dig down as much as twenty inches, but eventually you should see the clam shell. Try not to break the shell with your shovel, as sharp shell edges can cut fingers. When you are able, pull the clam out of the mud and place it in your bucket. Be sure to grab the clam by the shell and not by a protruding neck, as this might damage the clam. In Oregon, the softshell clam limit is the first 36 dug up per person. When digging softshells, you must take every clam you dig up, as softshell clams are not able to rebury themselves.

Once you've dug all your clams, fill the bucket with sea water until they are covered. If you don't plan on eating them right away, you can add a handful of corn meal to the water and the clams will pump out any silt themselves. After a day, use them in your favorite clam recipe; softshell clams are great for steaming and frying, or can be used in clam chowder!

This weekend, Nate and I had been hoping to head to the coast to get some mussels. Mussels are similar to clams, only they aren't buried in mud. Instead, they attach themselves to tidal rocks with threads called a "beard" or "byssus". This makes them far easier to collect, and just a few twists with your hands will free the shell from their rocks. Mussels are filter feeders, which means they can possess small particles including deadly toxins and organisms. Usually this is only found during the summer months, which leads to the saying, "only eat mussels in months with an R". Fortunately, Nate decided to call the state shellfish hotline anyway. This winter there are unusually high levels of toxins in the mussels here in Oregon and collecting them is restricted. Hopefully the toxin levels will decrease before May so that we can enjoy some mussels this season!

The Oregon state shellfish hotline number is (503) 986-4728.

I want to wrap this post up with a link. Here is a really cool tutorial on how to make a homemade camping stove with soda bottles. Maybe you could even use this to cook your shellfish in the field?

Note: I referenced an awesome book for much of this post, Clam Digging & Crabbing in Oregon by John A. Johnson. I would highly recommend it if you are interested in clamming. It can be purchased at Englund Marine Supply stores, or by sending a check or money order for $12.95 + $1.00 shipping and handling to:

Adventure North Publishing, Co.
P.O. Box 1601
Waldport, OR 97394
(541) 563-3743