Razor Clams Tinned in Olive Oil

Most of us think of smooth, round castanets of shells when we hear the word "clams," but they can come in all shapes and sizes. Razor clams—aka Jackknife clams, since they look like that, too—are long rectangular shells that hold a wily (and very delicious) mollusk inside. Finding the clams is difficult—they burrow below the sand of the shore and you can only spot their “show” if you look carefully and see a tiny hole at the bottom of a shallow depression in the sand—but they are a delicious reward… and these might be the tastiest razor clams I’ve ever had the pleasure to eat. 

Caught and tinned with a bit of olive oil and sea salt in Galicia, Spain, the clams are tender and pleasantly chewy with a rich, buttery flavor. You can lay them out as appetizers with squeezes of lemon and good olive oil, or chop them up and toss them with pasta. They can even be the secret clam in your next pot of chowder.