Cooking Razor Clams
I absolutely love Pan-Fried Razor Clams! Ever since I first tasted them as a young girl, I can not get enough of them. My family’s preferred way of cooking Razor Clams is Pan-Fried Razor Clams. This is because sweet, tender razor clams must be cooked quickly. If cooked too long, they will be tough!
One of our greatest delights when I was young, was to go the Oregon coast to visit my grandparents and to help dig Razor Clams with my Grandpa Myers. We would put our boots on and carry a bucket and a clam shovel. My job was to look for the small holes (called dimples) in the damp sand. When I found one, I would yell over to grandpa. He would shovel as fast as he could to get the clam while I watched. He would shovel until we pulled out a clam about 3 or 4 inches across. You need to be quick when digging in the surf as razor clams dig quite fast in the soft fluid sand.
The Razor Clam (Siliqua patula), named because their shells are razor sharp, are found on sandy Pacific ocean beaches from California to Alaska. The long, narrow shell may attain a length greater than 7 inches at maturity. When the Razor Clams are in season, you can get fresh razor clams by digging them yourself or at your local fish market. Razor Clams are usually dug in the shallow surf and are found in the sand by the hole left on the sand’s surface as the clam’s neck is withdrawn. Clams are dug with special narrow-bladed clam shovels.
Check out more of Linda’s great Clam Recipes and Seafood Recipes.
- 30 saltine cracker squares
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- Dash Tabasco sauce or to taste
- 24 medium-size fresh or frozen razor clams, cleaned*
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Coarse salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
- Lemon slices
- Cocktail sauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Coarse salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 (3.25-ounce) package Panko (Japanese-style crumbs), approximately 2 1/4 cups
- 1 pound medium-size razor clams (fresh or frozen), cleaned*
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- Lemon slices
- Cocktail sauce
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Crush the crackers with a rolling pin. Do not use a food processor which will spin the cracker too fine. Place the prepared crumbs in a shallow platter: set aside.In a shallow platter, beat the eggs together. Beat in the milk and Tabasco sauce: set aside.
Dry the clams thoroughly with a paper towel. NOTE: If you proceed without the clams being dry, breading will not adhere to the clams well, and wet clams steaks will result in LOTS of splattering of the hot oil.
Tenderize clams by pounding with the textured side of a meat mallet - pay particular attention to the tough siphon end. NOTE: Be careful, as you want the clams to remain in one piece.
Dip each clam in the egg mixture; drain off any excess. Then place each clam in the crumbs to coat. Place breaded clam on a rack or plate; repeat process with remaining clams. Let clams stand for 20 to 30 minutes so the breading will set up.
While the clams are resting, heat the vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan (cast-iron pan is ideal) over medium-high heat. Add the butter. Heat the oil (but not so hot as to smoke).
Give the oil plenty of time to heat up and make sure it is at the right temperature before you begin. If it is too cool, the clams will soak up oil and be greasy. If it is too hot, the clams will burn on the outside before the inside is cooked. Most foods are fried at 350 degrees F. To gauge the temperature, use a Cooking Thermometer or drop a cube of bread in the oil. If it turns golden brown in 1 minute, the oil is ready to fry in.
When the oil is hot, use tongs or a spatula to carefully add the clams. Do not crowd the clams. Fry for not more than 30 seconds, then flip the clams for continue cooking for an additional 30 second on the other side. NOTE: It is important not to overcook the clams or they will be tough.
Allow the oil to heat back up in between each round of cooking your clams.Remove the clams from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel lined plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Repeat until all clams are cooked and serve as soon as possible while warm. Serve with lemon slices and your favorite Cocktail Sauce or Tartar Sauce.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Pan-Fried Razor Clams (Option 2) Instructions:-
Place the flour in a pie pan and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs in a second pie pan and place the Panko crumbs in a third pie pan.
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Dry the clams thoroughly with a paper towel. NOTE: If you proceed without the clams being dry, breading will not adhere to the clams well, and wet clams steaks will result in LOTS of splattering of the hot oil.
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Tenderize clams by pounding with the textured side of a meat mallet – pay particular attention to the tough siphon end. NOTE: Be careful, as you want the clams to remain in one piece.
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Dredge a clam in the flour mixture, dip in beaten egg, then coat both sides with Panko crumbs. Place breaded clam on a rack or plate; repeat process with remaining clams. Let clams stand for 20 to 30 minutes for the breading set up.
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While the clams are resting, heat the vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan cast-iron pan is ideal) over medium-high heat. Add the butter. Heat the oil (but not so hot as to smoke).
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When the oil is hot, use tongs or a spatula to carefully add the clams. Do not crowd the clams. Fry for not more than 30 seconds, then flip the clams for continue cooking for an additional 30 second on the other side. NOTE: It is important not to overcook the clams or they will be tough.
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Allow the oil to heat back up in between each round of cooking your clams.
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Remove the clams from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat until all clams are cooked and serve as soon as possible while warm. Serve Pan-Fried Razor Clams with lemon slices and your favorite Cocktail Sauce or Tartar Sauce.
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Makes 3 to 4 servings.
* If the clams are frozen, thaw them in a colander in the sink so they will not be sitting in water as they thaw (if you do not drain them as they thaw, they will be tough).
I get many readers asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking and baking. I, personally, use the Thermapen Thermometer. Originally designed for professional use, the Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is used by chefs all over the world. I only endorse a few products, on my web site, that I like and use regularly.
You can learn more or buy yours at: Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer.
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When breading and frying fresh Razor Clams, here are some tricks to keep in mind:
Your Razor clams must be properly cleaned before frying them. If you are lucky enough to go to the beach and dig your own clams, check out this great web site and Learn how to clean fresh razor clams.
Start by patting the meat dry. Lay your clean clams on top of a few sheets of paper towels to remove the moisture on the clams; pat dry with your hands. If you don’t remove the moisture, the breading will not adhere to the clams well, and the wet clams will result in lots of splattering of the hot oil you are cooking them in.
To pound or not to pound to tenderize! Razor clams are a seafood that can be succulent and tender or like industrial-strength rubber bands, depending on how you handle and cook them. I usually pound them. Be careful, though; you want them to remain in one piece. If pounding, lay them between plastic wrap and let them have it with a meat tenderizer.
Clear your counter top and set out three (3) plates containing the following ingredients in the order listed: (1) flour, (2) beaten egg, (3) bread crumbs or cracker crumbs, plus a rack or plate to hold the breaded meat.
Place the cleaned and patted dry clams in the four/cracker mixture; turn with your hand or a fork to coat it.
Pick up the meat with the other hand and place it in the beaten egg. Using the same hand (consider it your wet hand) to turn the meat and coat it with egg. Then pull it out and lay the egg-coated meat on top of the bread or cracker crumbs. Use your dry hand or fork to pat the crumbs on. Shake off any excess crumbs and set the meat on the final plate or rack.
When everything is breaded, let it rest on the counter or in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes. This helps the coating dry out and adhere better.
Comments and Reviews
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7 Responses to “Pan-Fried Razor Clams Recipes”
David Ehrlich
You must either be a woman or a millennial, which is why you don’t understand how razor clams got their name. They are named for their shape! That was the shape of a razor back in the days before you were born. Boys might know that, if they ever fooled around with grand-dad’s razor; women are less likely to know that. But you shouldn’t repeat an opinion which you haven’t checked.
Larry
I love clams of any kind I use to get a Lot of pismo clams but there gone now. I buy razor clams frozen. And I have tried to. Pan fry them 25 to 30 times I do not fry them long and I tried sokeing in buttermilk, pineapple juice I pound them out and they always come. Out. Like rubber.
Laura Tenny
Oh, just yum!!! I made this with ,Ritz crackers. Heavenly!
Mary
David, how rude and you sit be insecure and ignorant enough to say what you just did. Shame on you.
Btw, this recipe was great and the saltines were awesome to use.
Kelly
David is also wrong on top of being rude. The Atlantic ‘razor’ clam or jack knife clam is nick-named for the straight edge razor, which is still around, I know several people who prefer them over disposable. The Pacific razor clam in this recipe is named for the sharp shells, and in no way resembles a razor that has ever been.
Delicious recipe.
Barbara
You, Kelly, are correct! If David had dug clams regularly, chances are he would have sliced his finger on an escaping clam and have no doubt as to the meaning of the name!! This is a delicious and classic recipe. I’ve recently tweaked it by subbing in 50% of the new roasted veggie Ritz crackers.
I also have to buy frozen and defrost them overnight, in the fridge, with buttermilk. About 2 hours out, from cooking, I put tenderizer on the necks before pounding the… stuffing out of the necks with the meat pounder. Works like a charm!!
Steve
This recipe is very close to the one I have used, learning it from my mother many years past. As a young child my dad took my brother and me to dig clams regularly. We took them home in a bucket of sea water and left them in the water for several hours. They would flush the sand out, making cleaning a bit easier. We never “tenderized” our clams before cooking. Properly cooked, yes, the neck can be a bit tough, but totally chewable. I still cherish a razor clam dinner after seven decades of eating them. This recipe is tops! BTW, if you freeze clams do it in a container of water with the clams totally covered. To thaw place the clam containing ice cube in a colander or strainer so the water can drain as it thaws. REMEMBER: pat them dry before breading!