How to clean razor clams

Photo by John Clark

Remove the meat

Put clams in a colander and pour boiling water over them just until shells open. Rinse with cold water until cool. Gently pull clams from shells, slicing the muscle that attaches to the shell to free the meat.

Photo by John Clark

Cut lengthwise

Snip off dark tip of the skinny siphon. With scissors, cut clam lengthwise from siphon to base of the digger (foot) and open.

Photo by John Clark

Lay flat

Lay clam flat and cut around slippery tan gills, mouth, and digger to separate them from the rest of the white meat.

Photo by John Clark

Remove the stomach

Squeeze digger so the dark stomach shows through the meat, then snip around it and gills and remove. If a clear rod pops out, discard it as well.

Photo by John Clark

The sand vein

Slice digger open lengthwise, open up, and pull out the dark sand vein.

Photo by John Clark

The final product

The white meat comes out in two neat pieces once you have a little practice. Rinse clam meat.

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