Clamming

An email from SPM last night invited me clamming.
He picked me up before 6:00 am and we were off.

We put the canoe in the Umpqua River and were off to the clam bed exposed by low tide.

The small hole on the left is the clam's hole, our signal to dig.

When the wall of the hole is caved in, the clam's neck is seen protruding from the mud.

It takes careful digging not to break the shell.
This is a soft-shell clam.
Dahlia Man calls them "piss clams" because they eject a stream of water when caught.


After the clam is shucked, the belly is removed and the neck is slit open and skinned.
Here's the edible portion that remains.

As we waded in the suprisingly warm water of the river observing tiny Dungeness crabs skittering about, SPM observed this tiny fish only 2-3 inches long swimming slowly and crookedly. Anyone know what it is or what's wrong with it?

We had a lunch of curried Thai clam pot, swiss chard, fingerling potatoes, fresh whole wheat garlic bread and hummus preceded by oyster stew and accompanied by Black Butte Porter.

rc