- Dinner for Four
To me, it’s the best of all possible worlds when someone offers us a limit of razor clams. This weekend is surely the best of the best in our clam world for we have houseguests who: 1) love to dig clams; 2) are adamant that cleaning clams must be done by the diggers; 3) enjoy cooking clams; and 4) are good at all of the foregoing.
To top it off, we need to be in Seattle today and are taking off shortly for a quick up-and-back trip. A fried clam dinner is promised to us on our return! Such a fabulous reward for offering good friends a bit of hospitality! We are already greedily hoping that we can work out a similar arrangement for every clam tide that comes along.
These particular friends are also cousins – that is she is my third cousin twice removed (or maybe my second cousin thrice removed) on the Espy side. For a number of years they had a place out in Surfside, a stone’s throw from the clam beds, but this year for the first time, they are up in the Olympia area. So my plan for periodic clam dinners might just be do-able.|
Nyel is even considering going out with them next time as in “have clam gun will forage.” Now that he has two good legs, he feels the urge to contribute to the table’s bounty. Me, not so much. Though I liked clamming in my youth, – I was a shovel and dig-up-to-your-elbow sort of clammer – these days I prefer to keep a light in the window and the home fires burning. And on those stormy nights, maybe a slug of brandy at the ready.
Whoo hoo! We’re off to Seattle. The sooner we go, the sooner we get back to that fried clam dinner!
Last season we licensed and took a bunch of local kids clamming for the first time. We had much the same rules in that they had to clean their own catch. It was absolutely hilarious! Never been clamming and living in Ocean Park, can you imagine that?
I can SO relate to your comment, Jim! Not too many years ago we had a roofer do a small repair on our porch roof. He had grown up and lived his entire 40 years in Long Beach but that was the first time he had ever been in Oysterville. Unbelievable!
My husband says I am almost the ideal wife because I love to dig clams but don’t eat them. If I would only clean them I could achieve perfection.
nice lookin’ limit. Mine were a lot smaller.
Called sis at Cousin Sydney’s today and she said “Have you seen Sydney’s blog today?” Lucky dogs to have fried clams tonight! Yum Yum!
Wow, Sydney! My mother is fortunate as she has a nice neighbor who is good to give her a few clams from time to time. I remember the first time I took my older boys clamming when we moved back from CA in ’87. It was a rainy icky day and Josh’s remark was, “Thanks for the experience, Mom.” They wound up being decent diggers and don’t like to eat them. I will clean any amount for a fried clam dinner, but Christopher Gray is the best clam fryer I know.