Until you can get to California’s Pismo Beach and feast at the Cracked Crab, here’s the recipe for making steamed clams (or mussels, or both) from fresh-as-can be seafood. Carole Jacobs, Real Food Traveler’s Fitness, Health & Spa Editor procured the recipe from the chef himself. It’s part of a series she wrote on the area that also includes another local recipe. Click on the bars below to read them all.

Save this recipe for the Cracked Crab’s Steamed Clams (or mussels) to Pinterest so you can make it often. Photos courtesy of Cracked Crab. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

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Steamed Clam Recipe from the Cracked Crab in Pismo Beach

In 1947, Pismo Beach deemed itself the “Clam Capital of the World” – home to not only the Pismo Clam, one of the largest in California, but the Pacific Razor Clam.

A century ago, farmers came here with horse-drawn plows, riding the sands and collecting clams the size of softballs. There were so many clams, you could see them rolling ashore at high tide, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times.

Back in those days, people who visited Pismo Beach rented specialized “clam forks” to dig up the mollusks.  Even Bugs Bunny got in on the action. In a 1957 cartoon, he and Daffy Duck declared they had “all the (Pismo) clams we can eat!” reported the Times.

Unfortunately, the Pismo Clams were so loved to death (both by people and sea otters, a natural predator) that their numbers began to seriously dwindle. Pismo clam populations can also fluctuate dramatically due to a variety of natural influences, explains Pismo Beach’s clamming website.

Fortunately, the clams have been experiencing a natural comeback!

In 2013, the city called in local scientists from Cal Poly to investigate their disappearance, the Times reported. By 2016, the researchers observed a hopeful sign that recovery was on the way: “Pulses” — countless small, young clams on the beach.

By July of 2021, Cal Poly researchers counted and measured 35,000 clams during three days of surveying — more than what they had found during five previous years of research. You couldn’t even walk on the beach without stepping on one, said the Times.

One of the best places to get fresh clams and crab in Pismo Beach is the Cracked Crab. Chef Andrew Shoneff was kind enough to share his recipe for the steamed clams they serve in the restaurant.

If you want to dig your own clams, you can learn more about it at Pismo Beach’s clamming website.

Cracked Crab’s Steamed Clams Recipe

Recipe and photos courtesy of the Cracked Crab

Ingredients:
1 pound good quality clams or mussels (or do half and half)
2-3 TBS unsalted butter
1 TBS minced garlic
Pinch crushed red chili flakes
Heavy pinch chopped basil
4 oz chopped tomatoes
Juice of a half lemon
4 ounces dry white wine
4 ounces heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Sauté butter, garlic, and chilis over medium heat until mixture almost starts to brown.  Add basil, tomato, lemon juice, and white wine to pan and turn to high. Bring to a boil. Add clams or mussels to mix and steam, covered, for two minutes on medium high. Add heavy cream to pan and continue to steam, covered, until clams and/or mussels open. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

-Carole Jacobs, Real Food Traveler Fitness, Health & Spa Editor

Chef Andrew Shoneff and GM Jamie Habig of the Cracked Crab. Photo courtesy of Cracked Crab.

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