Clams, cherrystone is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 7 recipes to get you started.

What is clams, cherrystone?

Cherrystone clams are hard-shell clams of medium size, the middle grade of the Atlantic quahog. They are bigger than littlenecks and smaller than the large chowder clams, and that in-between size is exactly why cooks reach for them.

A cherrystone runs roughly two to three inches across, big enough that the meat has real chew and flavor, small enough to still be tender. The taste is briny and sweet, unmistakably of the sea, with more body than a delicate littleneck.

This is the all-purpose East Coast clam: stuffed, baked, steamed, or chopped into sauce.

Cooking With Cherrystone Clams

Their size makes cherrystones the classic stuffing and baking clam. The shells are roomy enough to hold a filling, which is the whole idea behind Best Baked Stuffed Clams and Steamed Stuffed Clams, or the bacon-and-pepper topping of Clams Casino.

Chopped, they carry sauces and soups. The meat is firm enough to stand up to a long simmer without vanishing, which is why it anchors Pasta with Anchovy & Clam Sauce and a good homemade clam chowder.

Steaming is the simplest path. Drop scrubbed clams into a covered pot with a splash of wine or broth over high heat, and pull each one the moment it gapes open, usually five to ten minutes. Clams with Spicy Butter and Basque Style Steamed Clams both work this way.

Whatever the method, the rule is the same: a clam that opens is done, and overcooking past that point only toughens the meat.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Cherrystones love garlic, white wine, butter, lemon, parsley, chili flakes, and a little cured pork like bacon or chorizo. Their brine is a seasoning in itself, so go easy on added salt until you have tasted the liquor they release.

The safety rule comes first. Live clams should be tightly shut or close when tapped; toss any that stay open before cooking and any that refuse to open after. A gaping raw clam or a stubbornly closed cooked one is a dead clam, and you do not eat it.

The most common mistake is gritty clams. They hold sand, so scrub the shells and, for sandy specimens, soak them 20 to 30 minutes in cold salted water to let them spit it out.

The second mistake is overcooking, which turns sweet meat rubbery, so pull them right as they open.

Substitutes

The easiest swaps are other hard-shell clams. Littlenecks are smaller and more tender, the ones to reach for raw or steamed; the big chowder or quahog clams are tougher and best chopped for soup. Manila clams or cockles work well for steaming.

When fresh clams are not an option, canned clams stand in for any chopped or sauce use, though they bring no live shells for stuffing or steaming. Mussels are a fine steamer substitute with a sweeter, softer meat.

Buying and Storage

Buy cherrystones live, with tightly closed shells and a clean, briny smell. A cracked or gaping shell that will not close means a dead clam; leave it behind. Good ones feel heavy for their size, full of water and meat.

Store live clams in the fridge in a bowl loosely covered with a damp cloth, never sealed in a bag or submerged in fresh water, both of which suffocate them.

Spread on ice in the coldest part of the fridge, they keep one to two days, and the sooner you cook them the better.

Shucked clam meat keeps a day or two refrigerated in its own liquor, or freezes for about three months. Cooked clam dishes keep three to four days in the fridge. Never store live clams in standing fresh water or an airtight container.

Quick facts

In Chinese

蛤，cherrystone

British (UK) term

Clams, cherrystone

en français

palourdes, noyau de cerise

en español

almejas, cherrystone

Recipes using clams, cherrystone

There are 7 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 7 recipes