Some of the lowest tides of the year occur during our summer months, and the last of those is coming up.

There’ll be other low tides, yes; but not as low until winter and when it’s mid-January, dark, cold and windy, when wandering around on the tide flats is far from a pleasant experience. On a warm, balmy August afternoon, those mucky, smelly tide flats are the only place to be.

Every year, I get a few questions from readers who are new to the “sport” of clam digging about how to identify various clams, and what to do with them after you get them home. One thing is sure; all clams are not created equal and definitely cannot be treated as if a clam is a clam is a clam.

Let’s begin with huge and work our way down to little.

There’s no mistaking the biggest clam of all (at least in our area), the geoduck, (pronounced gooey-duck, please), and if you have to ask me about them, you’ve probably never dug your own. It’s a relatively rare experience, even among those who regularly dig other types of clams.

To keep it brief, geoducks can weigh anywhere from

3 to more than 20 pounds, and even 40 pounders have been recorded.

They should always be purchased live (true of any purchased clams); a squeeze of the neck should tell you quickly if the duck is living before you buy it. Unfortunately, when I last checked the price for live geoduck, it took my breath away. Because we’ve always dug, trapped or caught our seafood, I admit to being very much out of touch with seafood prices.

Take your geoduck home, clean it (see recipe instructions), and you’ll have a gourmet treat with a unique flavor. The neck, skinned and tenderized a bit, will give you a geoduck steak to equal any filet mignon; clean away the stomach and the remaining body meat is wonderful as clam strips or chopped and made into chowder. And if any clam-digging friend asks you if you’d like to have a geoduck, never say no.

Next down in size from the monster geoduck is the horse clam, also called gaper. It’s siphon is often mistaken by diggers for a geoduck siphon, resulting in many horse clams being dug and abandoned (don’t do it) when it turns out they’re not ’ducks.

Horse clams are tougher, less delicate in flavor than geoducks, and some diggers keep them solely for bait for crab traps. Horse clams, however, cleaned in the same way as geoducks, are excellent when ground or finely chopped and used to make clam chowder or fritters.

Next we have the butter clam, smaller and more rounded, with a white ridged shell but no cross ridges, which distinguishes them from their smaller littleneck cousins. Butters are easily dug, but seldom available live in supermarkets. I prefer not to steam them unless they are comparatively small, as butters can be tough. Clean them live, chop or grind the flesh and you’ll have fine chowder or fritter material. And many clammers like to remove the top shell, lightly bread the clam remaining in the bottom shell, turn it over on the grill or in a sauté pan and give it a quick sear, then serve it with tartar sauce or seafood sauce.

Remaining are the smallest of edible clams in our local waters, littlenecks and manilas. These are what most clam diggers seek and are often available fresh (be cautious) in supermarkets or, seasonally, at roadside vendors. These are prized as steamers, with a delicate, pronounced flavor. Littlenecks are considered “native” clams; manilas are a Japanese version that hitchhiked their way into our waters on Japanese oysters brought in by oyster growers sometime in the ’40s. Experienced clammers can tell which is which, and there is often discussion about which is “best.”

While both types are delicious, one of the primary benefits of manilas is that they tend to open more quickly and, for the most part, all at the same time when steamed.

Littlenecks, on the other hand, can be quixotic about opening; some open very quickly while others take longer, often resulting in some of the steamers overcooking while you wait for the rest to open, unless you’re prepared to monitor, remove and keep warm the speedy openers.

Most clam eaters think the manila has a more delicate flavor; that littlenecks are stronger and “clammier.” I just want a big bowl of one or the other or both, thank you.

I haven’t covered all the clams in the sandy flats, just the most common and preferred for eating. Cockles and quahogs are not usually on the menu, and razor clams are not available for digging unless you head to the ocean.

Mussels are in another, delicious, category of their own. No digging required.

If you plan on digging on the next low, low tides, please remember to check and pay attention to rules and regs. and any license requirements before you hit the beaches. Call or get on line to the fisheries department hot line if you’re concerned about any closures or red tide notifications.

Personally, I don’t know which I love more, the digging or the eating.

RECIPES

Where to begin when it comes to clam recipes, that’s the problem. Our all-time preference? Fresh clams steamed in wine with garlic, celery (small leafy stalk), shallot and herbs, served with drawn lemon butter and hot sauce for those who like to put a drop on their clam before eating it, with a cup of the clam broth on the side, for sipping.

But, if you have truly fresh clams, there are many alternatives, such as this elegant clam appetizer, a perfect opener for a seafood dinner.

CLAMS TARRAGON

3 lbs. fresh clams, scrubbed

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup white wine

Pinch of fresh thyme

Pinch of fresh dill

Herb butter (recipe follows)

Bread crumbs

For the herb butter:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.

1/4 cup finely chopped shallot

1 T. fresh tarragon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 T. chopped fresh parsley

Make the herb butter: Mix all ingredients until well blended. Set aside.

Place water, wine and herbs in a pan or deep skillet and bring to a simmer. Add clams and steam just until they pop open. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

Snap off the top shell of each clam and place other half with clam in an oven-proof dish. Place a dab of the herb butter on each clam and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 5-7 min. or until bubbling. Serve immediately. Serves 4-6.

Note: Reserve the clam steaming liquid, strained. It makes an excellent addition to seafood soup or sauce. Refrigerate if you’re going to be using it within a couple of days; freeze to keep longer.

I mentioned above our preference for steamed clams, but Thai-style steamers come in a close second, especially if you’re in the mood for a spicier approach.

THAI STEAMED CLAMS

2 t. vegetable oil

1 t. sesame oil (preferably toasted Asian sesame oil, if available)

1 T. minced fresh ginger

2 t. minced garlic

1 T. minced fresh lemongrass

2 t. fish sauce

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 t. soy sauce

1-2 t. Thai red curry paste (to your heat preference)

1 t. sugar

1 T. fresh lime juice

1/2 cup clam broth or juice (bottled if you have none on hand frozen from previous steamers)

2 lbs. fresh clams in the shell, scrubbed

1/4 cup matchstick cut carrots

1/4 cup matchstick cut red or orange bell pepper (optional)

1/4 cup slivered green onion

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Lime wedges, for garnish

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oils over med. heat. Add ginger, garlic and lemongrass; saute for 30 seconds.

Add fish sauce, coconut milk, soy sauce, curry paste, sugar, lime juice and clam juice. Bring to a boil and add clams, carrot, pepper and green onion. Cover and steam the clams for 3-5 min., or until clams open.

Divide clams, vegetables and broth among warm bowls, sprinkle with cilantro and serve, with lime wedges. Serves 3-4.

Now, about those horse clams you dug, hoping they were geoducks; this very old recipe is the basic preparation for not only horse clams, but geoducks and butter clams as well.

FRIED HORSE CLAMS

Horse clams

2 or more eggs (depending upon how many horse clams you’re preparing)

1 T. white wine

Cracker crumbs (seasoned or not, as preferred)

Cooking oil

Using a clam knife, open the horse clams; remove neck and rim of clams, discarding stomach. Dip neck in boiling water for 2 min., split neck and pull off leathery outer dark skin. Pound the neck and rim meat to tenderize.

Beat eggs with wine. Dip clam meat into beaten egg, roll in cracker crumbs. Fry in very hot oil about 3 min. per side, turning to cook until golden. DO NOT OVERCOOK OR YOU’LL BE CHEWING RUBBER BANDS. Serve with tartar sauce, or seafood cocktail sauce, or wasabi/mayonnaise, or whatever you feel would go well with the clams.