How to Open a Clam
(Reprinted from Jacques Pépin Celebrates, 2001, Alfred A. Knopf, Publishers.)


Where the oyster knife is pointed and the tip is usually curved (see How to Open an Oyster), the clam knife is straight, rounded at the tip, and sharp on one side. Personally, I prefer to use a regular paring knife to open clams. Cherrystones and little necks (the smallest of the hard clam clan) are commonly served on the half shell, although they are often cooked in the shell (clams casino and Rockefeller), or outside the shell (clam fritter, spaghetti and clam sauce). Like oysters, clams should not be overcooked. There are only two alternatives when it comes to cooking clams: to poach them only a few minutes to avoid toughening, or to cook them a couple of hours to have them tender. Cooked in between the two, they will be very rubbery. This principle applies to meat as well. Beef should be cooked rapidly (a steak) or braised (a stew): in between, the meat is, paradoxically, overcooked and undercooked at the same time.


1. Holding the clam firmly in the palm of your hand, place the sharp side of the knife blade at the seam, slightly on the 'bulged' side where it is easier to open. Using the tips of your fingers in back of the blade, tighten your grip, 'pulling’ the blade up through the seam. The muscle has to be severed for the clam to open.

2. Force the clam to open. Run the knife along the top shell to free the meat.

3. Break the top shell off by twisting it. Discard. You may work over a bowl to salvage the drippings.

4. Free the clam completely from the shell, run the knife under the meat and sever the muscle. Place on a flat plate. Do not wash. Serve with lemon, mignonette, or a cocktail sauce.