Surf Clam (Spisula solidissima)
Surf Clam (Spisula solidissima)
Common name: surf clam, hen clam
Scientific name: Spisula solidissima
Locations: lower intertidal on spring tides
Seasonality: available year round
colors: shells can range from white to black with green algal tint
Size: 4" - 6"
Collected: by hand at low water
Quantity: sold by the each
Tidepool Tim says, "Surf clams are a very hard-shelled giant-sized clam they filter feed in the fine sand and their shells are often found washed up on beaches up and down Atlantic coastlines. This is a very popular clam in restaurants and for use in chowders, etc. This clam is not a native to our local bays and so we collect them in southern Maine. Each clam may weigh as much as a pound.”