National Clams on the Half Shell Day

March 31st is National Clams on the Half Shell Day in the United States.

Clams are a type of bivalve molluscs. There are many different varieties of calms, from practically microscopic to the 200 kilogram or more giant clam, and they can be found in both marine and in freshwater habitats. Not all clams are edible, or eaten as food.

In North America, the term "clam" is usually used to refer to one type known as the hard clam which is native to the eastern shores of the continent, although it can also be used for some other edible varieties.

These clams are popularly served "on the half shell" in restaurants and clam boards in coastal areas of New York, New Jersey and New England. The clams are opened up with the top shell removed and served raw. They are accompanied with cocktail sauce with horseradish and frequently lemon.

National Deep Fried Clams Day

In the United States November 1st is National Deep Fried Clams Day.

Clams are a type of bivalve mollusc, seafood of the shellfish variety. Although clams are eaten, not everything that is called a clam is actually edible. There are different varieties of clam which are eaten in many different countries around the world.

In North America, the name "clam" is normally reserved to describe the Hard Clam. This is a clam species that is found on the eastern coast of the continent.

A popular way of serving hard clams is raw and on an open half shell, but this is not the only way. In this case, the clams are cooked by deep frying them. They would first be removed from their shells and coated in beaten eggs. Following this, the clam would then be dipped in some sort of seasoned mixture, such as batter or breadcrumbs, and then fried.