The Summer For Savory Clams
Who doesn’t look forward to summer? And it’s not just us. Some fish are happier in warmer waters. So are savory clams!
The Savory Clam, sometimes referred to as the Purple Clam or the Purple Varnish Clam due to its vivid purple-hued shell is typically a late-summer replacement for the Manila Clam, which spawns during this time. While their residency in our recipes is relatively short lived, it’s a fun (and beautiful) clam to learn about.
HOW THE SAVORY CLAM IS GROWN AND HARVESTED
We source savory clams from our friends at Hama Hama in the Pacific Northwest. The savory clam is harvested from the waters of Hood Canal in Washington. As substrate dwellers, these clams bury themselves deep in the sand and are both filter feeders and deposit feeders, meaning they are able to filter water for food as well as feed on specks of organic matter that may have drifted down to them.
The savory clam harvesting method is no joke. The harvesters at Hama Hama hand dig each one, and then suspend them in metal cages where they can purge any sand and unwanted material they’re holding onto. However, sometimes there’s something holding on to them.
The Pea Crab is native to the savory clam and can sometimes be quite the surprise when present in a clam when it opens. The aptly named crab is roughly the size of a pea and may be found with the meat inside the shell.
HOW THE SAVORY CLAM CAME TO NORTH AMERICA
Although they were found in British Colombia, Canada in the early 1990s, they’re not a native species to the area. It is believed they were brought from Asia as hitchhikers on cargo ships during the late 1980s. Once they settled, they thrived in the Pacific Northwest waters and spread all the way down to Washington where they’re grown now.
SAVORY CLAMS VS MANILA CLAMS
There’s more difference in these two bivalves than just their temperature preferences.
Savory clams have a sweet, hearty and full body flavor with a celery-like finish, with a texture that is softer than the manila clam – more like mussels.
Aside from the flavor, Savory Clams also have a thinner shell when compared to the Manila Clam, resulting in a higher meat yield per pound.
The Savory Clam also cooks differently. While the key to telling when a clam is cooked is usually that the shell opens, Savories tend to flash open their shell when exposed to heat – even though they may not be fully cooked yet. Typically, Savories take longer to cook but are also much harder to overcook.
The noted difference in flavor can also provide a key difference in dishes. As the director of food and beverage at Hama Hama puts it, they’re “heartier” and can hold their own in stronger sauces and preparations like curry and spicy tomato sauce.
SAVORY CLAMS AT WATER GRILL
For a short time at Water Grill near the end of summer, we like to use the Savory Clams for dishes like the Farmed Savory Clams with Chorizo. Steamed in a saffron broth and served with a crispy French baguette, this dish hits the spot for any clam lover. The Savory’s heartiness makes it an ideal companion to the chorizo.
You can also find savory clams in one of our Guest favorites, the Cioppino. With Dungeness Crab, Jumbo Shrimp and fresh fish in a shellfish broth, this fisherman’s soup originated on the docks of San Francisco but is now loved wherever you’ll find a Water Grill.
As the seasons change so do our menus, so get in to try these seasonal dishes out while you can! You’ll find locations – and reservations – here.
All photos courtesy of Hama Hama Farms
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All About The Dungeness Crab
The waiting game hurts. But when Dungeness crab season opens each year, it’s worth it. Dungeness crab isn’t just a staple on our seafood plates, though. Here at Water Grill, they’re practically a fixture -- from our saltwater tanks to raw bar and seasonal preparations.
An Introduction to the Dungeness Crab
WHAT IS A DUNGENESS CRAB?
As renowned as they are for their flavor, few people know just how important Dungeness crab is to the West Coast. Of crabs in the Cancer genus, Dungeness (Metacarcinus magister) is the largest edible species (and one of the tastiest!)Dungeness crab has a mildly sweet flavor with a firm but delicate texture. Even though Dungeness is the most abundant crab in California, its availability is limited and regulated. And for good reason.
HOW IT STARTED
The first commercial harvest of Dungeness crab occurred in 1848 off the coasts of San Francisco and Washington. Its presence and cultural significance was felt long before that. The Dungeness fishery involves some of the great West Coast placenames in seafood. Crabs are caught in places like Bodega Bay, Port Townsend, Coos Bay, Astoria, Newport and Willapa Bay – just to name a few.
The Dungeness crab's relationship with communities of the West Coast has been traced back to coastal Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest. The Nuu-chah-nulth specifically would catch it and use it as an economic resource. It wasn’t until the late 1700s before European settlers first made it to the entrance of the Puget Sound, where the Spaniard Manuel Quimper found the spit, which became nicknamed the “Shipwreck Spit”. Ignoring the Spanish “discovery” of the spit, on April 30,1782, British explorer George Vancouver was reminded of a similar sandy projection on the Southeastern English shoreline and named this Puget Sound sandbar “New Dungeness”.
HOW DUNGENESS CRAB GOT ITS NAME
The Dungeness Spit, a jetting sandbar on the inlet to the Puget Sound that creates a shallow bay, is where these crustaceans take their name. Dungeness crab has historically been abundant in this preferred habitat: sandy- or soft-bottom areas around tidepools as deep as 300 feet. Some have been found as deep as 750 feet.
While they get their name from this area in the Pacific Northwest, Dungeness crab can be found all the way north near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands continuing down to Santa Barbara, Calif., with occasional sightings as far south as Magdalena Bay in Mexico. Although they’re caught both recreationally and commercially in Northern and Southern California, their population greatly decreases when you go south of Monterey Bay, Calif.
CRABBING SEASON
Dungeness crabbing season occurs along the West Coast, typically from late fall to the following summer. Each state has its own fisheries management, and the opening of the season often fluctuates due to conditions in their waters, including migratory whale patterns. When the season opens up, it will often be sequenced for recreational and commercial fishing.
HOW IT WAS CAUGHT THEN
The Coast Salish peoples, a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous People of the Pacific Northwest, would typically catch their Dungeness by hand (well, spear actually). Men would patrol shallow waters in canoes and use spears to pierce their carapaces and bring them up from the sand.
HOW DUNGENESS CRAB IS CAUGHT NOW
While using diving gear is more common when collecting these crabs by hand today, most fisheries will use crab pots or traps – which is the preferred method of catching before it's delivered to our restaurants via our exclusive seafood distribution company. Up until the1940s, a typical harvest was done using crab rings or hoop nets. Only mature male crabs may be harvested to allow the females to continue to reproduce. It takes about four years to reach the market size of 6.25 in. across its carapace(or shoulder-to-shoulder so to speak.) At Water Grill, the minimum size offered is 1.75 lbs.
Careful management
Beyond these specifications of careful harvesting, the Dungeness crab populations are hardly stable and need careful management by state agencies to determine when it is safe for the populations to be harvested.
Here’s the commercial Dungeness crab fishing season by state:
Typically, May to December
Typically, mid- to end-November through end-June/mid-July, though the start of the season has been delayed to December/January in recent years
Typically, December to August
Typically, December through September
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: HOW TO TELL A DUNGENESS
There are a few markers that separate a Dungeness crab from its scuttling siblings. You’ll notice that the top of a Dungeness shell has a light reddish-brown color with hints of purple towards the back. Compared to other crabs, the underside of a Dungeness will be a lighter orangish-white color.
You can also spot a Dungeness by its claws and pincers. Where, typically, you’ll find that most crabs have black-tipped pincers, the Dungeness pincer tips are white and saw-toothed, like its carapace (the back/body of the crab).
WANT TO TRY IT YOURSELF?
All this talk about this delicious crab pique your appetite? Come into Water Grill to experience what it’s like to eat this West Coast shellfish in an elevated way. Have it chilled or steamed – always served with crab butter, of course – or try it in a Cioppino. This fisherman-inspired stew features a range of seafood, including shrimp, clams, mussels and Dungeness in a way that heightens this homemade-style dish. Check out our daily menus and reserve a table now.
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