Wondering what to do with littleneck clams? This guide covers how to pick them, cook them, store them, and swap them, plus 8 recipes to put them to work.

What are littleneck clams?

Littleneck clams are the smallest and most tender size of the hard-shell clam known as the quahog, the same species sold larger as cherrystones and chowder clams. They run about an inch and a half to two inches across, with a sweet, briny, slightly chewy meat.

Their size is the whole appeal. Littlenecks are small enough to serve whole in the shell, sweet enough to eat raw on the half shell, and quick enough to steam open in minutes.

Cooking With Littleneck Clams

Steaming is the classic move. Drop the scrubbed clams into a hot pot with a splash of wine, broth, or water, cover, and they pop open in 5 to 10 minutes as the heat releases their hinge.

That same trick builds a sauce. Linguini with White Clam Sauce steams the clams right in the pan so their liquor becomes the backbone of the dish.

Clams in Pancetta Broth and Clams In Vegetable Broth do the same, building a quick broth around the open shells.

Littlenecks also anchor a good chowder. New England Clam Chowder with Salt Pork chops the meat into a creamy potato base, while a mixed pot like Shellfish & Chicken Paella scatters them over rice to steam open in the last few minutes.

Here is the one rule that matters: a clam that does not open after steaming was probably dead before it cooked. Throw it out rather than prying it open.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Littlenecks love garlic, white wine, butter, olive oil, parsley, lemon, and chili. Cured pork like pancetta or bacon adds a smoky depth, and crusty bread for mopping up the broth is half the point.

The first mistake is skipping the purge. Clams hold grit, so soak them in cold salted water for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking and they will spit out the sand.

The second is overcooking. Once a clam opens it is done, and another minute of heat turns the sweet meat tough and rubbery. Pull each one as it opens if you can.

Go easy on added salt, too. Clam liquor is already briny, so taste the broth before you reach for the salt cellar.

Substitutes

Cherrystones are the same clam a size up, so they work everywhere littlenecks do; just chop them for chowder, since the larger meat is chewier eaten whole. Manila clams are a touch smaller and sweeter and steam open even faster.

Cockles or small steamer clams stand in well for steaming and pasta. For chowder specifically, canned chopped clams plus a bottle of clam juice will get you there in a pinch, though you lose the drama of the shells.

Buying and Storing Littleneck Clams

Buy clams alive. The shells should be tightly closed, or should snap shut when you tap an open one; a clam that stays gaping is dead and should be discarded.

Store them in the fridge in a bowl covered with a damp cloth, never sealed in a plastic bag or sitting in water, both of which suffocate them. Use them within a day or two for the best flavor.

Give the shells a good scrub under cold running water just before cooking to knock off any grit or barnacles. Cooked clam meat keeps a day or two in the fridge, but the texture suffers, so they are far better eaten the day you cook them.

Quick facts

In Chinese

littleneck蛤

British (UK) term

Littleneck clams

en français

palourdes du Pacifique

en español

almejas

Recipes using littleneck clams

There are 8 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 8 recipes