Littleneck clams are members of the Veneridae family, a large family of mollusks which includes many commercially valuable species. “Littleneck” is not a taxonomic classification, and people use it in varying ways in different parts of the world to refer to several different clam species. This can be both confusing and irritating, although most clams referred to as “littlenecks” share a number of characteristics which make them very similar on the table, although they are found in different regions of the world.

Littleneck clams are bivalve mollusks, meaning that they have a two part shell with a more or less symmetrical top and bottom. They are also roughly circular in shape, in contrast with more oblong edible mollusks like soft-shell clams. The shell is usually ridged, sometimes quite deeply, and it is pale gray to green in color. The inside of the shell houses the soft body of the clam, which is surrounded by watery blood, as clams and other mollusks have an open circulatory system.

People have eaten various mollusks for centuries, both raw and cooked and in a wide range of recipes. In the case of littleneck clams, people burrow for the shells in intertidal zones or estuaries, where the clams bury themselves in deep sand and mud, filtering tidal waters for nutrients and necessary oxygen. Clams can be steamed, fried, boiled, sauteed, or roasted as part of a stuffing in a larger animal like a turkey.

Littleneck clams are also hard shelled, meaning that their shells are firm and tough to crack. So-called “soft-shelled” clams have more brittle shells which are subject to breakage, although their shells are far from soft in the conventional sense. In some regions of the world, people refer to small versions of quahog clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) as littleneck clams. In the Pacific Northwest, many people call the Pacific Clam (Prothothaca staminea) a “common littleneck.”

When it comes to eating mollusks, smaller is often better, as smaller mollusks will be less chewy. The same holds true with littleneck clams, although known as steamer clams; when you are choosing littleneck clams to eat, look for medium sized to small specimens, rather than going for the biggest clams you see. Clams should be alive at the time of purchase; this means that that their shells will snap shut when tapped. Ideally, you should store clams under refrigeration in a colander or another device which drains readily, allowing the bodily fluids of the clams to drain away rather than accumulating.