Leukemia is killing our clams!

Well, if this isn't unappetizing news!  A cancer is transmitting itself from clam to clam:

The cancerous cells multiply, break free, and survive in seawater long enough to find their way to new clam hosts. For now, the team aren’t sure when the cancer first arose or what role (if any) Steamer plays in that origin. The findings do indicate, however, that the “horizontal transmission” of cancer is more common than we thought.

Terrible, terrible news for our favourite sea friends.

'Disco clam' scares away predators!

Disco may be dead, but clams are using its eternal powers to keep themselves "staying alive":

The bright, orange-lipped “disco clam” (Ctenoides ales) became a phenom last year when researchers learned that its dazzling display (see video) proved to be reflections of ambient light and not light produced by the clams themselves. Now that same team has strong evidence that these blinking streaks are telling would-be predators, "Beware!"

Looks like you'd have to move earth, wind and fire to get your hands on these clams! Still, I might be able to order some.

Read the whole article at: http://news.sciencemag.org/plants-animals/2015/01/disco-clam-lights-scare-predators-away

Local clam-eating opportunity

Here at ClamBlog, we're always on the look-out for ways to clam down in public -- so you can imagine how exciting it is to see an opportunity like this in the neighbourhood:

An oyster pop-up bar, featuring littleneck clams?!! The Lion and Bright is doing it right. Be there.

Nb. we also appreciate a good seafood pun, and 'Afishionado' definitely makes the cut.

Clam cocktails that can really set the mood

When you're trying to get back into the dating scene after a long-term relationship or simply to stave off loneliness, it's always important to have a bottle of red wine on hand for a romantic night in.  But what if you really want to impress your companion with your creativity, and also enjoy a good clam-based drink yourself?  Have I got some recipes for you.

Red Sky At Night

3oz Clamato juice
1oz White Rum

A personal favourite of mine, this can be served together as a single beverage or with the rum on the side, so as to not adulterate the Clamato.  Pair with cocktail onions or even clams on the half-shell, and don't forget to learn a few nautical adages to keep the conversation fresh!

Siberian Clams

Vodka

Clams (small; any sort)

Intense and unforgettable, these should be served in shot glasses alongside savoury appetizers.  Place the meat of the clam in a size-appropriate shot glass, fill the rest with vodka, then let sit for 10-15 minutes to let the spirit fully permeate.  Best slurped down in a single gulp!

Mollusco Italiano

Red wine (dry)

Clams (any sort)

Black olives

Not for the faint of heart -- mash up the clams in a bowl and add wine, constantly stirring until the mixture has the consistency of cottage cheese.  Spread on a firm cracker and dot with olives to taste.  A great option if your date has a fondness for Europe.

Clam + Porter Sauce

Clams

Beer (Porter or Stout)

Not a cocktail as such, but simmering premium clams in a good dark beer will create a smoky companion to pasta.  Add a little Worcestershire to really underline the saltiness, but don't go overboard depending on what you're planning for dessert.

Frozen Blended Clamato

5oz extra spicy Clamato juice

Ice cubes (half a handful)

1 stick of mozzarella cheese

3 sweet gherkins

Summer may be over, but if things get a little hot between you and your romantic prospect, you can always cool off with one of these.  Blend the ice, gherkins and Clamato together until smooth and serve in a short glass with the stick of mozzarella. I prefer the mild cheese to offset the rich, rich Clamato taste, but you may choose a sharper cheese if your partner is no stranger to flavour.

These should get you started -- and while your culinary prowess could be a major factor in whether your relationship flourishes or ultimately dies, remember that presentation is everything, and that a little olive oil goes a long way.  Most importantly?  Just don't clam up!  :)

Study shows how giant clams harvest the sun!

Once again, our amazing, delicious friends are proving that they 'shine' brightest of all in the underwater ecosystem:

"Many mollusks, like squid, octopuses, snails and cuttlefish," Sweeney said, "have iridescent structures, but almost all use them for camouflage or for signaling to mates. We knew giant clams weren't doing either of those things, so we wanted to know what they were using them for."

Just enough to whet my interest (and my appetite!)

"We see that, at any vertical position within the clam tissue, the light comes in at just about the highest rate at which these algae can make use of photons most efficiently," Sweeney said. "The entire system is scaled so the algae absorb light exactly at the rate where they are happiest."

Could photovoltaic cells use this technology to increase efficiency?  Read more clam news here: http://phys.org/news/2014-10-giant-clams-harness-sun.html

Fun Facts About Clams

Hello clam lovers!  I'm back with some facts you may not know about clams:

1. The biggest clam can grow up to six feet in diameter!  What a meal that would be.
2. The word "clam" is actually short for a longer Italian word, "clamantino"!
3. Did you know that there are more than 7 different varieties of clams?
4. Clams are the most salt-succulent of the molluscs, and do not need much/any salt added if you are planning to eat them (which you should)
5. Clam trawlers usually trawl in pairs to mitigate risk.
6. Finding a boot in with recently-dredged clams is actually a sign of good luck -- this is largely due to the fact that clams have a foot, and the boot is therefore seen as a sacrifice from the clams.
7. Clams have a foot, which should be its own fact.

Do you have a fact about clams?  Leave a comment!

Clam fossils offer 10,000 year history of El Nino Southern Oscillation

It seems like every day, clams are helping us better understand our world!  Scientists in Peru are using clam fossils to track weather patterns ten thousand years ago.  Crazy stuff:

People have been living on the shores of the Pacific Ocean in Peru for a long time, and as they've done so, they've eaten clams, tossing the shells onto waste areas that grew to become huge mounds over thousands of years. In this new effort, the researchers dug down into several such mounds and extracted clam fossils they found, along with dirt and charcoal—remnants of ancient fires used to cook the clam meat. By taking measurements of oxygen isotopes in the clam shells, the researchers were able to calculate ocean surface temperatures at two to four week intervals throughout the lives of the individual clams, while radiocarbon dating of the dirt and charcoal revealed when the clams made their way into the mound. Examining multiple clams at different depths in the mounds allowed for creating a historical record of sea surface temperatures, and that allowed for charting the cycle of the ENSO going back ten thousand years.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-08-clam-fossils-year-history-el.html#jCp

Truly, science is going in the right direction.

Chowder and a Chat: A Programmer Visits The House

It's been lonely here recently so I had my old friend Christian DeWolf over for chowder and a chat. Christian has been keeping busy this spring; he's been programming non-stop, drinking lots of Clamato, and is hoping that writers all over the world "shell out" for his new web writing platform.

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FP:  It's great to have you here today.

CD:  Thanks for having me.  This chowder is fantastic.

FP:  Can you taste the clams?

CD:  Yes. It looks like there are two different kinds. Are these chives?

FP:  Three kinds, actually. And they're scallions. Cassandra's recipe.

CD:  Is she here?

FP:  She's...  no.  Tell me about this new website you've got coming out next month, FractalFic, kind of maybe give me the concept behind it.

CD:  Well, FractalFic is an interactive fiction platform, where users can write their own "Fractal Stories," which are non-linear, exponentially-branching adventures.

FP:  How are these different than those books, where you could choose your own--

CD:  Size, for one.  As the stories expand, they incrementally double in size, easily overtaking the potential of a book trying to accomplish the same thing. Users don't have to learn programming or write complicated rules to build a story; they simply create multiple "trees" and link them together, with the option to hide items and locked boxes where it suits the narrative.

FP:  I don't see how anyone would want that.

CD:  No?

FP:  It's all a little too "New Media" for me.  Are you actually trying to make money off of it?

CD:  My original idea was to have it be kind of a money machine, one that would offer a free service, fully automated, that could be improved with a small cash payment to cover my costs.

FP:  Now, you've been experimenting with Clamato juice this spring--

CD:  I've found, though, that as my program gets bigger, and I look at it in its full glory from the very top, that I've created more of a money castle, with myself as the--

FP:  Please, let's bring it back to clams for a second.  You said earlier you've been adding balsamic vinegar to your Clamato juice.  That's pretty out there!

CD:  And a few drops of hot sauce.

FP:  Aren't you buying the Extra Spicy stuff?  They have an actual--

CD:  I know.  I do.

FP:  But you need something extra.

CD:  Yes.

FP:  Interesting; interesting.  Do you eat clams often?

CD:  Not really.  I try to avoid seafood these days, you know, Fukushima and such.

FP:  Clams have natural protection against radiation.

CD:  They do?

FP:  They have shells!

CD:  You could write a clam-related game, or story, on FractalFic.

FP:  Are you planning to write one?

CD:  (pauses)  Not immediately, I don't think.  But you can just go on there, create a user, start adding trees, and you can even upload images, take submissions from other users, colour different parts of your story, collaborate with your friends on the same--

-------

Christian had to leave at this point but he left me this recipe on his way out:

"The Black Spot"
-5 oz Clamato juice (extra spicy)
-half capful of balsamic vinegar
-3-5 drops Jamaican hot pepper sauce
Do Not Stir

I'll give it a try and let you know! And hopefully Christian will write us that clam story after all. The world needs more clam fiction.

Back on the clam wagon

Hello clam lovers!  It's been a long winter but I'm finally back to eating proper clams.  Although Cassandra won custody of my Cherrystone farm, I met a new guy on the wharf who says he's going to source me sweet shell all summer.  I'm pretty sure he meant clams but I'm going to text him later to clarify.

Fried clam

Cassandra is gone.  All I do these days is fry up 40 Fathoms-brand battered clams and eat them with ketchup.  Not even tartar sauce!  I'm shattered.  I am like a clam with a shattered shell putrefying on the shore.  40 Fathoms really is the worst; I don't know why I keep buying their SHIT

Clam About Town

If Cassandra can go have a girls' weekend out in some cottage somewhere, then I think I can go out clam-bar-hopping and live it up like a young urban man!  Which is what I am!  I ate so much tonight but it was all so good.  Cass makes us such great clams at home that I sometimes forget the quality we have within biking distance.  With Nocturne going on there were tons of people out and about, and at the fourth restaurant I even made a seafood friend!  Mishelle almost knew more about clams than me, and we had a few Caesars before her husband came and 'rescued' her.  He was making some very odd requests.

If Cass hadn't taken the camera with her I'd have documented my feast, but alas you're at the mercy of my description.  The highlight of the night was a dill clam risotto - though for the life of me, I cannot remember where I had it.  I had a LOT of clams tonight - so many I may even regret it tomorrow.  Let's hope not!

A Clammin' Good Mystery

Have I got the story for you!  Tonight, while Cass is up in Cow Bay visiting her ailing grandfather, I decided I would take a road trip of my own, down to that hotel she stayed at for the conference.  If the clams were as good as she said, I'd have my evening's work cut out for me!

But get this - I checked both restaurants, and there is not a clam on the menu!  Things got even weirder when I mentioned the confectioners' conference.  Apparently they hosted no such thing!

It's got to be a different hotel.  I'll ask Cass when I get home; I tried calling but she's got her phone off.  I'd hate to waste a trip down here, though.  I'm definitely going to have to buy some clams on the way home.

EDIT: Cass here.  Yes, it was a different hotel.

Room Service

Cassandra checking in from the hotel.  Really good conference so far; learning lots about different candying techniques.  Eating tons of samples too!

On F's request I gave Room Service a call and ordered the clams. The concierge told me they were the spé·cia·li·té de la mai·son, and rightfully so - some of the best clam I've ever had.  Just what I needed.

I think I'm going to get an early night.  There's a marzipan workshop starting at nine.

Quahogs for once

Cassandra is away for the night at a confectioners' conference (on Thanksgiving Monday - weird, right?) so I steamed up some quahogs for the occasion.  She won't eat quahogs because of they remind her of Family Guy, which she hates, but she is missing out on some incredible taste!  I know people throw this word around all the time these days, but these things truly are succulent.


What our garden's going to look like tomorrow

Sauce review: Francis' bourbon butter

A night in the fridge didn't do this sauce any favours - what Francis described as "smoky" is more like "stale", and there is far too much worcestershire.  Sorry, spouse.  This tastes rusty.    ** 2/5 clams

A few on the BBQ

Hi Clam Fans - Francis here again.  Cassandra is out tonight seeing a friend so I got out the barbecue and I'm living it up.  I don't need her around to eat gourmet! (although it drastically increases the chances that I will)

I got a bottle of bourbon out for the butter sauce.  I'd forgotten how good it is!  Cass doesn't like me drinking it when she's around (apparently I get too loud) but this smoky flavour is really going to slide off of these Longnecks - though I may have gone a little overboard with the worcestershire.  I'm going to have to save some of this sauce for Cass.  Maybe she'll weigh in on it later.

I'm also going to need to lay in a few more bottles of this bourbon.  It's disappearing faster than these clams will!


Barbecued clams - popping hot

Clammin' Downstairs

I'm back!  Cassandra's been spending a lot of time on the phone this week so I've had an opportunity to tend to my clams in the basement.  Everyone says it's impossible to raise clams without access to a beach, but I think they just lack imagination!

My sand table took a full year to build, but with the water pumps running smoothly and my regular plankton feedings, my little Cherrystones haven't been doing too badly.  I don't believe so anyway.  It's hard to tell through the sand.

I brought an armchair down here to eat dinner - sautéed razor clams, from Clem's (I went back!) with seared snow peas and red wine Alfredo sauce.  Even leftover from Friday it was amazing.

It'd be a lot colder down here without the heat lamps over the clams.  With them running 24/7, we won't even need to turn on the furnace until Christmas!

I think Cass is off the phone.  I'm going to stay down here a little longer, see if the clams need anything.  I might add some more salt to the water; I'll keep you posted.


Delicious razor clams

Trip to Clam Harbour

The Eastern Shore is one of Francis' favourite spots in the province, and to hasten his recovery I drove us out to Clam Harbour - a fitting destination for two "clam-ficionados" like us!

While quiet on the trip there, Francis definitely came out of his "shell" when he spotted roadside clam vendor Stephen, who we met this summer at the convention.  Stephen's buckets were filled with fresh clams, and we shot the salty breeze while Francis pored over the buckets, selecting what would be our dinner tonight.  I have to say he did a good job - our risotto was delicious - though some of the credit of course goes to Stephen for dredging them up!

Stephen told us an interesting story.  According to Eastern Shore lore, a giant clam once appeared on a moonlit night to an old fisherman, who tried to wrestle it into his boat but was instead swallowed whole, never to be heard from again.  Stephen then produced a pearl from his pocket and implied that it was perhaps the fisherman in calcium carbonate form - I laughed, but he gave me the pearl and told me to keep it safe, sounding very mysterious.  Francis offered to pay, but Stephen would have none of it, and even threw in some mussels with our clam haul.

Overall, I'd say, a successful trip!


A clam shell

Crazy - for chowder!

Cass here!  Francis has been in bed taking it easy ever since our oyster mishap, so I'm commandeering the blogging role temporarily.  My delirium was thankfully short-lived and left no lasting delusions.

This weekend I experimented with some chowders - clam only of course - and the smell has got Francis itching to get better.  I've been bringing him large bowls to build up his strength.  Here are some reactions he had to my concoctions:

Carrot Tarragon Clam Chowder

Francis said it was light and delicate, but he didn't keep it down for more than a minute.  I thought it needed more salt.

Triple Clam Chowder

I tried to make Francis guess which types of clams I used in this one by smell alone.  He guessed Cherrystone and Butter clam immediately, but couldn't place the distinctive Littleneck clams I'd secretly imported for his birthday.  I agreed that the chowder suffered from being too high-concept, and was only fair to middling in taste.

Corn, Clam and Caper Chowder

I admit, I went a little overboard with the alliteration (and with the capers) but corn is F's favourite, and he ate bowl after bowl of this particular experiment.  There was so little left for me that I was forced to subsequently make....

Clam Salad

I tossed some raw clams with baby spinach, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, blueberry balsamic vinegar and some of the expensive olive oil, and voila!  I left a small serving for Francis in the fridge but ended up eating it myself while he was sleeping.

I hope Francis is up and about soon, because my palate is simply not enough for all these clams we've got in the fridge.  And I hate packing up leftovers.

Chowder, clam (not one of mine)

Oysters? N'oysters!

Cassandra brought some oysters home today, thinking that we might enjoy them as much as clams.

She couldn't have been more wrong!

Opting to pan-fry, Cassandra added a whole stick of butter, an entire head of garlic, and her secret ingredient (which I will not reveal here).  So how, you might think, did it turn so bad?

Maybe she used old garlic.  Maybe they were bad oysters.  But we were up half the night with fevers!  Cass was hallucinating - she kept talking about bird people coming to attack her, and at one point she thought I was one of these, and she lashed out at me with her fingernails.  I had been vomiting myself and the noise was agitating her.  I had to hold her until she calmed down but it was the middle of the night before she finally fell asleep.  I haven't thrown up for a few hours but I still don't feel on top of my game.  We probably won't be going into work today.

From now on we're sticking to clams.

Pan-fried oysters - not a good idea

All Clammed Around

Today Cassandra and I drove to a new clam shack near Lunenburg.  We had heard (through a colleague of hers at the restaurant) that they specialized in Razor clams - a species which is more delicious in garlic butter than even mushrooms - and we figured it would be worth the drive.  We listened to Stevie Nicks on the way (Cassandra's choice).

But when we arrived at Clem's Clams, we found to our dismay that it was closed!  They had run out of clams an hour before we arrived.  Disappointed but not discouraged, we went down to the docks to see if we could intercept some fishermen.  As luck would have it, a clam boat was just arriving, and one small financial transaction later, we had procured for ourselves a whole bucket of fresh Razor clams.  We never leave home without the cooler, so we loaded it up and drove back to the city, working up amazing appetites.  Cassandra insisted on Stevie Nicks again on the way back, in exchange promising to make her famous breaded jalapeño mustard clams tonight.  I indulged her, of course, and there's only one word to describe what she whipped up for us:

Clam-tastic!


Clams in clean buckets

Welcome to ClamBlog!

You've stumbled upon ClamBlog, what my partner Cassandra and I hope will become a leading online resource on clams and molluscs.  I am an oceanographer by trade, and Cassandra is a chef - so between us, we've raised and eaten some of the most delicious clams of all time.  We'll be writing about all things clam, so check back often for recipes, stories, and of course, clam puns.  Happy clamming!


Clams