Fish
Razor Clam
A tier
Razor clam covers elongated, brittle-shelled clams such as Ensis and Siliqua species that look like old straight razors. The meat is long, sweet, and more tender than thick hard clams when cooked briefly—excellent for searing, ceviche-style cures, and garlic-parsley plancha cooking. Shells chip easily; handle with care. Split or pop open, remove the dark digestive tract if preferred, and cook hard and fast or serve very fresh with citrus and chilli. Overcooking turns razors tough and cottony. Scottish, Spanish, and Pacific Northwest razors each have devoted followings; keep ice-cold and use the day of harvest when possible.
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History
Atlantic European shores gathered razor clams for simple grills and stews.
British coastal foragers and markets sold razors as a distinct sweet clam.
Pacific razor clam digs became a cultural harvest on US Northwest beaches.
Spanish a la plancha service made razor clams a tapas-bar global icon.