Razor Clams, Delicious Shellfish Sometimes Found In The Scillies
Rushy Porth: One of the Whitest Beaches In South West UK
One of the whitest, most beautiful beaches to be found anywhere is Rushy Porth on the eastern shore of the island of Tresco. On a bright day you need ski goggles just to walk across it, the sand is so white – but here and there the whiteness is punctuated by that natural treasure trove of all beaches, a scattering of shells.
Rushy Porth, Tresco, at low tide
The Irresistible Beauty of Seashells on the Isles of Scilly
Why do we like shells so much? After all, they represent of a graveyard of living things… And yet their colours and shapes are a wonder to most of people – added to that there are a few, like me, who instantly imagine the salty maritime succulence of their long-lost contents.
Rushy Porth looking towards St Martins
Razor Clams on Rushy Porth: A Hidden Culinary Gem
On Rushy Porth at low tide there’s often a particular type of shell in evidence, and although the samples on show delight most passers-by, the long sleek shape have one or two of us drooling.
Fresh cooked razor clams on Bryher
The Ensis arcuatus, better known as the razor clam, is not only a wonder of nature – it is a fabulous delicacy that we tend to ignore in the UK. In Southern Europe they drool over its long delicate contents and pay large sums for a dozen – here you rarely see them on a fishmonger’s slab, which is maybe just as well as their numbers remain healthy around West Country shores.
Razor clams in a Sardinian fish market
How to Find and Catch Razor Clams on UK Beaches
Those who know how to hunt down this elusive shellfish go out across big beaches at low tide and near the water’s edge look out for small keyhole shaped holes in the sand. Armed with a container of the cheapest cooking salt, they squirt a blast of the white stuff down the hole and wait for one of the strangest sights you’ll ever see on a beach.
Razor clams about to be cooked on Bryher
The creature that is the razor clam spurts out from the sand momentarily like some alien beast in a sci-fi movie. The hunter grabs it quick, or loses it forever.
Hunting for razor clams with the Pender family
A Taste of Spain on the Isles of Scilly: Cooking Razor Clams
The Spanish will heat a heavy and empty pan until it’s fair jumping and turning red hot, then throw in their cleaned razor clams, secure a lid for a few seconds, then add the contents of a small bottle of beer. The resultant volcano of foam can be frightening to behold, but once this dies down the delicious clams are just about ready to eat.
