REVIEW: Trader Joe's Maine Whole Cherrystone Clams

[Mark Thorson]

I suppose I was seduced by the label and the price, only $1.99
for a can holding 6.5 oz net weight. . . . wild caught,
hand-sorted and hand-packed . . .

But for crying out loud, they are CANNED clams. How could
I have imagined they couldn't be rubbery? Well, I suppose
it's because Geisha baby clams are not rubbery -- they're
great. But these are much larger clams. And I often buy
live Manila clams of similar size and steam them until the
moment they pop open. Of course I'd be disappointed.

For $1.99, I just had to check it out. For all I know,
maybe they had solved the rubberiness problem. Maybe
these were like the Geisha clams, but really big!
No such luck.

The last time I brought up canned shellfish, somebody
mentioned the little smoked oysters are no longer available.
I tried three or four brands, and that seems to be true.
The canned smoked oysters today are much larger than they
used to be, have less than half the smoke flavor as before,
and most important lack the delicate texture of the oysters
you can't get anymore. My last hope is that I sometimes
pass by a large Korean market. Maybe they would have the
old-style canned smoked oysters. As I recall, those came
from Korea. The canned smoked oysters available in
supermarkets and Asian markets today come from China or
with one exception Malaysia.

[Sqwertz]

Post by Mark Thorson
But for crying out loud, they are CANNED clams. How could
I have imagined they couldn't be rubbery?

The best canned clams are these:

http://yfrog.com/c9clamswholesteamersj

These clams are 1" x 1" x 1/4" and are total meaty goodness.
Unfortunately (for you) they are only available for $6/can at very
limited retailers or for $9 x 6/ea 64oz cans restaurant service.

No other canned clam comes close.

-sw

[Mark Thorson]

Post by Sqwertz
These clams are 1" x 1" x 1/4" and are total meaty goodness.
Unfortunately (for you) they are only available for $6/can at very
limited retailers or for $9 x 6/ea 64oz cans restaurant service.

You just gotta rub that in, Mr. Commercial Food Person,
don't you?

[Chemo the Clown]

Post by Mark Thorson

Post by Sqwertz
These clams are 1" x 1" x 1/4" and are total meaty goodness.
Unfortunately (for you) they are only available for $6/can at very
limited retailers or for $9 x 6/ea 64oz cans restaurant service.

You just gotta rub that in, Mr. Commercial Food Person,
don't you?

Yeah..he know about clams all over the world.

[Kalmia]

On Jan 25, 9:20 pm, Mark Thorson <***@sonic.net> wrote:
Geisha baby clams are not rubbery -- they're

Post by Mark Thorson
great.

Heck - I can't even find GEISHA anywhere.  Yeah, they weren't bad at
all.

I can also remember when a can of Geisha crabmeat was a regular on my
shelf - for a quick crabmeat salad.

My best recent clam memory involves a neighbor who got her hands on
some fresh Cedar Key FL clams and made white clam sauce over
linguini. She used tons of garlic, real butter of course, and had a
spinach salad and sorbet for dessert. Sad to say, she moved away.

[Jean B.]

Post by Mark Thorson
I suppose I was seduced by the label and the price, only $1.99
for a can holding 6.5 oz net weight. . . . wild caught,
hand-sorted and hand-packed . . .
But for crying out loud, they are CANNED clams. How could
I have imagined they couldn't be rubbery? Well, I suppose
it's because Geisha baby clams are not rubbery -- they're
great. But these are much larger clams. And I often buy
live Manila clams of similar size and steam them until the
moment they pop open. Of course I'd be disappointed.
For $1.99, I just had to check it out. For all I know,
maybe they had solved the rubberiness problem. Maybe
these were like the Geisha clams, but really big!
No such luck.
The last time I brought up canned shellfish, somebody
mentioned the little smoked oysters are no longer available.
I tried three or four brands, and that seems to be true.
The canned smoked oysters today are much larger than they
used to be, have less than half the smoke flavor as before,
and most important lack the delicate texture of the oysters
you can't get anymore. My last hope is that I sometimes
pass by a large Korean market. Maybe they would have the
old-style canned smoked oysters. As I recall, those came
from Korea. The canned smoked oysters available in
supermarkets and Asian markets today come from China or
with one exception Malaysia.

I think I looked for those when this last came up. I am wondering
whether Whole Food has refrigerated ones. Lemm look at the brand
that comes to mind.... Hmmm. No luck there. Try Amazon if all
else fails. They seem to have them.

[m***@gmail.com]

Trader Joe's whole Clans are horrible

[Sheldon Martin]

This post might be inappropriate. Click to display it.

[Gary]

Post by m***@gmail.com
Trader Joe's whole Clans are horrible

I would never buy whole clans.

For fresh clams though, a local seafood market is best.
You always want only the freshest of any seafood.
Where ever you buy them from, only buy live ones.
If the shell is slightly open and won't close immediately
after being tapped or bumped, it's dead.