The Summer For Savory Clams
Who doesn’t look forward to summer? And it’s not just us. Some fish are happier in warmer waters. So are savory clams!
The Savory Clam, sometimes referred to as the Purple Clam or the Purple Varnish Clam due to its vivid purple-hued shell is typically a late-summer replacement for the Manila Clam, which spawns during this time. While their residency in our recipes is relatively short lived, it’s a fun (and beautiful) clam to learn about.
HOW THE SAVORY CLAM IS GROWN AND HARVESTED
We source savory clams from our friends at Hama Hama in the Pacific Northwest. The savory clam is harvested from the waters of Hood Canal in Washington. As substrate dwellers, these clams bury themselves deep in the sand and are both filter feeders and deposit feeders, meaning they are able to filter water for food as well as feed on specks of organic matter that may have drifted down to them.
The savory clam harvesting method is no joke. The harvesters at Hama Hama hand dig each one, and then suspend them in metal cages where they can purge any sand and unwanted material they’re holding onto. However, sometimes there’s something holding on to them.
The Pea Crab is native to the savory clam and can sometimes be quite the surprise when present in a clam when it opens. The aptly named crab is roughly the size of a pea and may be found with the meat inside the shell.
HOW THE SAVORY CLAM CAME TO NORTH AMERICA
Although they were found in British Colombia, Canada in the early 1990s, they’re not a native species to the area. It is believed they were brought from Asia as hitchhikers on cargo ships during the late 1980s. Once they settled, they thrived in the Pacific Northwest waters and spread all the way down to Washington where they’re grown now.
SAVORY CLAMS VS MANILA CLAMS
There’s more difference in these two bivalves than just their temperature preferences.
Savory clams have a sweet, hearty and full body flavor with a celery-like finish, with a texture that is softer than the manila clam – more like mussels.
Aside from the flavor, Savory Clams also have a thinner shell when compared to the Manila Clam, resulting in a higher meat yield per pound.
The Savory Clam also cooks differently. While the key to telling when a clam is cooked is usually that the shell opens, Savories tend to flash open their shell when exposed to heat – even though they may not be fully cooked yet. Typically, Savories take longer to cook but are also much harder to overcook.
The noted difference in flavor can also provide a key difference in dishes. As the director of food and beverage at Hama Hama puts it, they’re “heartier” and can hold their own in stronger sauces and preparations like curry and spicy tomato sauce.
SAVORY CLAMS AT WATER GRILL
For a short time at Water Grill near the end of summer, we like to use the Savory Clams for dishes like the Farmed Savory Clams with Chorizo. Steamed in a saffron broth and served with a crispy French baguette, this dish hits the spot for any clam lover. The Savory’s heartiness makes it an ideal companion to the chorizo.
You can also find savory clams in one of our Guest favorites, the Cioppino. With Dungeness Crab, Jumbo Shrimp and fresh fish in a shellfish broth, this fisherman’s soup originated on the docks of San Francisco but is now loved wherever you’ll find a Water Grill.
As the seasons change so do our menus, so get in to try these seasonal dishes out while you can! You’ll find locations – and reservations – here.
All photos courtesy of Hama Hama Farms
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Pacific Halibut Season Is Back!
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If you’re looking to spot a Pacific Halibut in the wild, you’d have to keep a keen eye on the ocean floor to find this diamond in the rough. And the Pacific Halibut surely has two eyes on you!
With a face that only a mother could love, The Pacific Halibut’s unique appearance is matched by its uniquely delightful flavor. Luckily for us, Pacific Halibut is back in season, and you can try it now at Water Grill.
About The Pacific Halibut
The Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) is the world's largest species of flatfish. This species of right-eyed flounder can weigh up to 500 pounds and grow as long as 8 feet! Those big ones are lovingly called “barn doors”, whereas smaller ones are referred to as “chickens.”
These massive flatfish are groundfish, meaning they live near the ocean floor and prefer water temperatures around 37 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit. Living near the ocean floor is why they have their unique coloration.
While it’s not likely to betray you, the Pacific Halibut is a particularly two-faced creature. The two sides of this flatfish are composed of a lighter, off-white-colored side on its underside (the side that faces toward the ocean floor) and a darker side on top. The lighter side is meant to look more like the sky from those looking up at it, helping it camouflage into the ocean surface. The greyish-brown darker side has colors that help it blend into the sandy ocean bottom.
Perfectly camouflaged, finding a Pacific Halibut really is finding a diamond in the rough, as its diamond-shaped body is more elongated than most flatfishes, and its caudal fin has a crescent shape to it, which is unique to this particular species of flat fish.
Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder
If you were to find a Pacific Halibut shortly after it was born, you’d easily mistake it for some other type of fish. They’re born swimming upright and without their iconic one-sided eye placement. It’s as they get older that the Pacific Halibut begins to morph into the form we know and love.
By the time a right-eyed flounder reaches six months old, its left eye has made a journey across its skull to situate itself close to its right-sided partner (although about one in 20,000 halibut are left-sided). Now right-eyed and laying flat, the Pacific Halibut can keep an eye out for potential threats and feed on a diet of small fish, crabs, clams, squid and other bottom-dwelling invertebrates.
Pacific Halibut Season and Fishery Management
Typically, the season for catching Pacific Halibut runs from mid-March through early November, closing right before the spawning season begins. The females typically spawn at depths of 300 to 1,500 ft. When we get a hold of Pacific Halibut, it’s wild-caught by longlines or hook-and-line along the coastal waters of Northern California all the way up to Nome, Alaska – though, most of them are caught in the Gulf of Alaska.
Fishing for the Pacific Halibut is regulated by the International Pacific Halibut Commission, NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Council. These agencies set yearly quotas to support a minimum halibut population. The teamwork these agencies have shown in both the United States and Canada has ensured that the Pacific Halibut has not been overfished, but also that its population has seen growth since 2013. Today, nearly 25 million pounds of Pacific Halibut are fished annually.
The commercial fishery for Pacific Halibut began in 1888 off the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia. Due to dwindling stocks of the Atlantic Halibut at the time, along with prime access to railroads for shipping, there was an upsurge in vessels in Canada and Alaska fishing for Pacific Halibut to supply the demand from the East Coast. With the rapid growth of the commercial fishery came a decrease in stocks of this fish, ultimately leading to the first known treaty to be introduced for the conservation of an ocean fishery – the Convention for the Preservation of the Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean in 1923.
Pacific Halibut at Water Grill
At Water Grill, we handpick, cut and exclusively supply the highest quality seafood to our restaurants, leveraging more than 75 years of strong relationships to source from local fishermen and lobstermen.
From off the boats of the local fisherman, around 40 tons of Pacific Halibut passed through King’s Seafood Distribution in 2024, where it is filleted and prepared for our restaurants. We are committed to ensuring the maximum yield of this amazing fish, utilizing all parts in our menu. This includes the tail, collar, fillet, cheeks and even the bones and eyes!
It may come as some surprise to some to see these lesser used parts of a fish on a menu, but parts like the collar and the tail bring out tremendous flavors and contain the most tender and flavorful meat.
Make no mistake, Pacific Halibut is a people and palate pleaser, with a flavor that’s delightfully mild and slightly sweet. It’s a leaner fish, with large white flakes and a firm but tender texture. These flavor characteristics, texture and color come from its sedentary lifestyle, unique diet and relatively cold-water environment where it inhabits.
Depending on availability, we offer several preparations of Pacific Halibut throughout the season at Water Grill, utilizing the whole fish. This includes:
•Pan Seared Halibut entrée with spring peas, fingerlings, braised leeks and lemon velouté
•Pan Roasted Halibut Cheeks appetizer with braised fennel and brown butter lemon sauce
•Miso Marinated Halibut Collar with grilled Okinawan potatoes, pickled bean sprouts and yuzu aioli
•Roasted Halibut Tail tacos with roasted tomato salsa, pickled mango and soft corn tortillas
All this Pacific Halibut talk catch your eye? Check our Water Grill menus for availability and make a reservation today!
