Discover Clamming
in Florence
Familiarize yourself with the following clams. These are the varieties you are most likely to find. There are many kinds of clams that are popular in Florence. You should be able to tell which is which before going clamming.
The Butter Clam has a set of rings that go in one direction around the center; and its shell is rather hard.
The Cockle has deep ridges like a Ruffle's potato chip and also has a hard shell.
The Gaper Clam is also known as the Empire. It has a large, almost round, hard shell with dark brown and white colors.
 Manila
 Native
The Littleneck Clams have two separate distinguishing marks: the Manila Littleneck has a crosshatch look; and the Native Littleneck has fine ridges traveling in only one direction. They both have hard shells.
The Pacific Razor Clam is brown and oblong in shape. Although the shell feels and looks hard, it's thinner and it breaks easier than the other hard shelled clams. When this shell is broken it's usually very sharp so be careful.
The Softshell is easily broken. It has one end that is round, while the other is more pointed. As the name implies, it has a softer shell than usual.
The Mussel even though it too is a tasty shellfish, is not a clam. Learn about mussels here.
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