Clam Recipes

A LITTLE HISTORY OF...

Clamming on the mud flats of Tomales Bay has probably been going on since the original settlers, the Miwok Indians, came to these shores. The first European to "discover*' Tomales Bay in the mid 1700's, was Juan Padilla Y. Bodega. He actually named Tomales Bay, "Bodega", but when the next explorers came west, they discovered the present day Bodega Bay, missing Tomales Bay entirely...

Around 1834 Tom Woods, "Tom Vaquero" appeared in these parts, and put some Miwoks to work gathering abalone at Tomales Point, which he traded for brandy to the French merchant ships plying the coast.

It was clams that attracted George Dillon. of Ireland, to the area in the 1880's. George wanted to show the mile long sandy beach at the mouth of Tomales Bay to tourists who were traveling up the coast to the redwoods. The North Pacific Coast Railroad made a stop at the town of Tomales four miles to the east. George built a hotel and dining room in Dillon Beach and ran a stagecoach to pick up people who wanted to "take the air".

In the early 19O0's Dillon sold the hotel to the Keegan family, and in the mid 1920's Sylvester Lawson, a successful dairy and grain farmer from Woodland, CA, and his wife Carrie purchased a home in Dillon Beach and leased the hotel from the Keegans.

In 1926, their son Howard and his wile Winifred moved from Woodland and purchased the resort property, including cabins, hotel, store, and restaurant, marketing it as "The Family Playground of Marvelous Marin". Winifred is credited with developing many of the clam recipes that remain popular today. Syl's second son Walter and his wife Nita bought property adjoining the resort to farm. Over the years, other brothers and sisters, and sons and daughters joined the business

Today Lawson's Landing is owned and operated by the Lawson's. The Landing has been the destination of family groups for picnicking and camping. Generations have been bringing their families back to Dillon Beach, and it is the continuity of tradition that the Lawson family is so proud to maintain.

TIPS FOR PREPARATION

One of the biggest problems facing claimers after a successful digging expedition, is cleaning and preparing the day's catch. Immediately after removing the clams from the hole, thoroughly wash each clam in salt water and place it in a clean wet sack.

It is best for all seafood to be cleaned as soon as possible after taking. With clams, the first step is to take them out of their shells and put the necks in lukewarm water to soak. To remove them from the shell, first run a knife down between the shells at the opposite end from the neck, cutting the large muscle which holds the two halves together. This allows the shell to open and you can now pull the entire clam from its home.

Now separate the neck, with its brown skin, from the other parts and place it to soak in warm, NOT HOT, water Do not leave the necks soaking any longer than it takes to loosen the skin (usually about 30 minutes), so that it may be peeled off. Cut off the extreme tip of the neck as far back as the color is blue. (Hint: this blue portion is excellent poke - pole or surf fishing bait!) After you have the skin off' split the neck down the center, rinse well in cold water and place on a board or platter to drain.

Almost all of the meat inside the shell is edible, and not using it would he wasting the choicest part of the clam Strip the gills, (the light brown filmy substance), from around the body and discard them. The white meat around the edge of the shell has a thin brown skin on it which peels off readily. The body is the large part reside tile shell and consists mainly of fatty tissue which gives the clam its richness and flavor. Split open the body about hallway through from the thick edge. Remove the cartilage, and with the point of the knife, scrape out the dark portions on the thick side of the body. Do not waste any more of the body fat than is necessary, for it is all good food.

For most recipes you want grind up your clam meat using the coarse blade on the food grinder. With your clam meat cleaned and/or ground, you are prepared to claim the rewards of your hard work on the mud flats!

RECIPES

Clam Linguine
(serves 4)

4 cloves of pressed gallic   2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 cup olive oil                  1 teaspoon of pepper
2 cups ground clams          3 quarts of water
1 to 1 1/2 cups dry             1/2 pound of linguine
white wine (or clam juice)1/2 cup parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, saute garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil until brown. Add ground clams, stir until they lose their translucence and just begin to cook. At this point, add dry white wine (or clam juice) and saute for about 10 minutes, at a simmer. You can also add minced parsley and pepper at this time.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil and add linguine. Cook for approximately 7-8 minutes or until al dente. Drain, and toss with 1/4 cup of olive oil, parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon parsley and place in large bowl.

Pour clam mixture over the linguine and toss until well coated. Serve with lots of garlic bread! A green salad is nice too. You might want to pass more parmesan cheese and pepper around to sprinkle over each serving. People tend to eat more linguine than they should so this recipe is easily doubled.

(Serves 6)

To browned bacon bits and chopped onion, add diced potatoes, seasoning and water. Add chopped clams last. The ratio of ingredients to water is 1 to 3. For color and variation, try adding finely chopped celery, green peppers, tomatoes or tomato sauce or perhaps some Worcestershire sauce, carrots, parsley, or a touch of garlic - all according to your own taste.

1 cup chopped clams

1 cup coarsely rolled crackers crumbs

2 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients lightly and drop by the tablespoonful, into hot oil. Fry quickly and evenly to a golden brown on each side and serve at once. Add a squeeze of lemon if desired.

Geoduck Casserole
(Serves 4)
Two 1/4 cubes of butter 1 tablespoon cornstarch
8 cloves of garlic 1 cup milk
2 cups finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
sourdough bread crumbs 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup parmesan cheese 2 cups ground
1 teaspoon fresh parsley geoduck clams

In a large cast iron skillet, brown 1 cube of butter and 2 thinly sliced cloves of garlic Add sourdough bread crumbs and stir well until slightly toasted. Stir in 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese and flesh parsley. Set aside

In a medium saucepan, melt 1 cube butter and saute 4- 6 cloves crushed garlic. Mix cornstarch into milk and add to the melted butter Stir, constantly, over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat and add black pepper, garlic salt and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Now assemble the casserole. Reserve 1/2 cup of breadcrumb mixture for topping. Place remaining bread crumbs in greased 9' pie plate. Add ground geoduck clams, drained. (You may use horseneck clams, but use the necks only, save the bodies for chowder) Pour the cheese/garlic sauce over the clams. Sprinkle with reserved breadcrumbs. Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly. A wonderful rich main course.

1/4 cup butter 1 cup cream
1 onion 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 green pepper pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic Tabasco
3 tablespoons of flour 2 cups chopped dams
4 eggs 1 cup grated swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 325*. Melt butter in a large skillet and add finely chopped onion, green pepper, finely chopped and crushed garlic. Saute until limp Sprinkle with flour and stir well. Remove from heat.

In medium size bowl, combine lightly beaten eggs, cream, salt, pepper to taste, 3 dashes of Tabasco, and well drained chopped clams. Add the sauteed vegetables and mix well.