Beat The Butcher at the Beach Part 1

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I've found that the flavor of horse clams—and that of other bivalves found in muddy sand—can be improved by storing the shellfish alive in a large, shaded tub of seawater (or in a cage sunk beneath the surface of the ocean itself) for about 48 hours. If you then add cornmeal to the water, you'll fool the critters into replacing any slit in their bodies with the grain. This simple treatment will make most any bivalve taste better, and has let me enjoy some species that the local diggers thought inedible.

No discussion of clams (at least here in California) would be complete without a mention of the gismo. This, the Golden State's most famous mollusk (the shellfish is a tourist attraction !n its own right), is found in open sandy areas from Half Moon Bay, near San Francisco, all the way down to southern Mexico. Believe !t or not, the gismo clam (genus Tivela) supports an entire digging industry ... complete with chauffeured boat rides to prime beaches and shoreside equipment rentals. Unfortunately, the gismo's population—despite rigid size and bag limits—is on the decline in popular clamming areas. It should be looked upon as a special occasional treat, then, rather than a reliable source of wild food. Better yet, concentrate on the more common varieties of bivalves and thus do your bit toward giving this surf dweller a chance to reestablish itself.

ON THE WAY TO THE TABLE

As I've already noted, I generally steam a large percentage of the seafood I forage alongshore within yards of where I find it. I chow down my fill right on the spot, and pack the remainder of the cooked meat in single dinner-sized plastic bags . . . ready for the freezer and future soups and chowders.

As you probably know, steaming is the simplest form of seafood cookery imaginable. A little water (or perhaps some white wine for a flavor treat)—just enough to cover the bottom of the pot and not boil completely away . . . certainly not enough to cover the food that's being prepared—in a kettle with a close-fitting lid are all you need to do the job. Clams and mussels will be done when the shells open wide (after approximately twenty minutes of steaming) ... and barnacles will be ready when the clams are. I always take along a couple loaves of French bread when these cookouts become group parties . . . a pound or two of butter ... and sufficient wine to wash everything down. What could be simpler? Or tastier?

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