Embrace the rain and dig for razor clams along Washington’s coast this winter

The old Pemco ads called “Goosebumped Beach Bum” Northwest Profile #38, noting the thin line between “Hey, the sun might come out,” and “Hey, that might be frostbite.” But it takes an extra-special breed of hardy local to purposefully make the trek to the coast for the chilly late-night razor clam digs of winter, arriving in the dark to wade along the shoreline, headlamp pointed straight down and Gore-tex jacket zipped all the way up.

The experts on the razor clam beaches create a tap, tap, tap rhythm with the back of their shovel, wading into the shallow tide before deftly flipping it over and scooping out the clam. At the opposite end of the spectrum, steering clear of the water’s edge, small children help their parents to spot the penny-sized holes in the sand that indicate a bivalve lurks beneath.

Digging for razor clams on the Washington coast is a local tradition, fun adventure, and type of foraging with near-guaranteed success once you get the hang of it. Plus, it results in a delicious meal afterward. But while the spring season brings morning digs and the possibility of sunshine and plenty of time to drive home afterward and clean the clams before dinner, the dark, often wet and windy, night digs of winter appeal only to diehard proponents of type-two fun.

When is the best time to dig for razor clams?

The best time for digging starts an hour or two prior to low tide, which, for the digs tentatively scheduled for November and December by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, ranges from 11:16 p.m. (Nov. 10) to 3:49 p.m. (on Dec. 30). The schedule gets finalized in the weeks leading up to each set of dates, depending on the testing of clams for safety and sustainability, as well as the sustainability of the environment. Each currently proposed dig includes Long Beach, Twin Harbors, and either Mocrocks or Copalis. They run until about an hour after low tide, which, even on that earliest day, happens well after dark in the short days of December.

The average low temperature in these parts of the year hovers just above freezing, while the average high – almost never coinciding with that low tide – reaches 45°F. It usually rains an average of 21 days in each of those months, so the chance you stay dry is minimal. But for the right kind of person, the fun of strapping on the strongest headlamp you can find, arming yourself with a $20 PVC clam gun and getting dirty holds a unique appeal.

What is a razor clam?

The Pacific razor clam failed to become Washington’s official state clam during a recent legislative push, but the large bivalve, vaguely shaped like a straight razor, still holds a special place in local’s hearts. While it shares a name with the razor clams found on the East Coast (which much more like a razor, with their straight sides and squared corners), it is unique to the region, running from Northern California to Southern Alaska, but with its natural heart on Washington’s ocean beaches. Meaty and large, they often grow to be almost six inches, which means that the daily limit per digger – temporarily bumped to twenty clams this winter from the usual 15 per day – provides many meals.

How to dig a razor clam

Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance, goes the saying, and that’s particularly true for winter clam digging.

Dress for the weather and in plenty of layers – it gets hot digging, as you work pretty hard, but you also don’t want to get wet. Put on your best waterproof coats and warm fleeces and as little cotton as possible. Put on the strongest headlamp you have, or bring a good, water resistant flashlight or lantern – but remember you also need to carry your own clams in a bucket or mesh bag (the bag is nice because it frees up a hand), plus you want to have at least one tool for every two people.

That tool, for experts, is usually the thin-headed clam shovel. But digging for razor clams with a shovel takes a particular skill. Clams can dig, but, if you do it right, you kind of hold them in place with the shovel. To do so, you have to quickly and carefully plunge the shovel straight down on the water side of the “tell” (the little hole that indicates a clam). Using a clam gun – much less violent than it sounds – makes this easier. While you can find pricier metal ones, the cheap PVC version is lighter weight and easy to use. Simply center the tube about an inch closer to the water from the tell and push straight down. Wiggle it a little bit if you have trouble, you want to sink it pretty deep. Then use your thumb to cover the small hole, creating a vacuum, and lift with your legs, not your back, to pull the cylinder of sand out. Release your thumb and your sand slides out – hopefully with razor clam inside. If not, look in your hole – sometimes you can see and grab it from there.

Know before you go

Along with the light gear, make sure you have a shellfish license from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. They sell them online or at sporting goods stores and gas stations all over, and many gas stations and minimarts near the coast sell both the clam gun and the license.

You can buy a one-day or season-long pass, but either way they don’t cost much. Then make sure you follow the online guidelines for when you are or are not allowed to dig, and where the proper beach is. They tend to be hard to miss, since it’s a popular activity – look for the dots of light headlamps and follow the headlights on the cars to drive out onto the sand.

In the rules, you will see that you need to keep every clam you find – that means even the mangled ones from hitting them with your gun as you pushed it down (it happens) – up to the daily limit. They freeze, so it is worth getting more than you can eat at once, but the key is not to get more than you can clean – a process that you ideally do as soon as possible.

How to clean a razor clam

When you finish clamming at the beach, the best thing to do is to put them in a cooler with sea-water drench fabric to transport them home. Then put on a pot of water to boil and prepare an ice bath. Dip each clam in the boiling water for just a few seconds, then move to the ice water. The shells should slip right off. Use scissors to cut the dark, tough spot at the top of the spout, and then to cut up through the part that looks like a zipper and on through the neck – the neck has two chambers, make sure you go through both. Gently separate the foot from the body and then dark parts – gills and innards – using your hands. At this point the neck just needs all the sand cleaned from it and it’s ready. The dark gills and innards get tossed. Orienting the foot, snip across what would be the ankle, then insert the scissors and open the foot so you can remove any sand or dark parts. Leave the soft material.

How to eat a razor clam

The diggers tend to be best in a classic fry – dust with flour, dredge in egg, coat in panko, and fry in oil, while the neck works best in forms where it gets sliced small or chopped up. Fresh, it works for ceviche or stir-fried, but, once frozen, some of that nice texture fades and they taste best in clam chowder or ground – after which they can go into a Bolognese or stew.