winkels and other shell fish

[swkieran]

does anybody else collect and eat these,as i live really close to the sea i can get them in abundance.heres my way of preparing and cooking them,soak them in cold salt water for a good 12 hours that enables them to self cleanse,rinse them boil them for about ten mins add garlic aswell,or you can keep some by to dip in vinegar or pepper which is lovely ;)

[Fletching]

Ooh, I love 'em in vinegar. Petty you don't see the old mussel man going down the pubs any more. Not round here anyway.

Steve

[swkieran]

yeah there very tasty in vinegar :),i know what you mean steve london has changed in that respect,i remember those men aswell from childhood my grandfather was from the east end very good memories of the jellied eels etc, closet place i guess would be the coast of essex

[Tony1948]

Essex coast thats me , down the cockle sheds at Leigh or Southend lovely,Im from old east end stock and was draged up on all that gear cant beet it.My brother in laws hes got a pie& eel shop LOVELY.

[fish]

still a cockel and whelk man on salisbury market,been there for 50 years.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m92/fishfish_01/358504293_3a5391081c.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m92/fishfish_01/358502735_874c5e00a8.jpg

[Fletching]

...drooling!

[Fletching]

There's a pie and mash shop up the Walford road I go to. The pies 'n' liquor are quite good but the jellied eels, I've had better. I went to a P & M shop in Shepherds Bush last year and they wanted nearly eight quid for double pie 'n' mash! Could've bought a fillet steak for that. :)

Steve

[Martin]

There's a pie and mash shop up the Walford road I go to. The pies 'n' liquor are quite good but the jellied eels, I've had better. I went to a P & M shop in Shepherds Bush last year and they wanted nearly eight quid for double pie 'n' mash! Could've bought a fillet steak for that. :)

Steve

Pah!! That's London for you mate isn't it? You can still get a decent pasty down here for less than two quid. :)

Martin

[swkieran]

can't beat a proper cornish made pasty :),some places in this part of devon can make some good ones,devons thing is mainly dairy products and scrumpy :),i was down in truro a couple of months back my fav place in cornwall love heading down the atlantic highway across bodmin moor devon/cornwall border :)

[GaryBeaner]

Anyone tried getting razor clams? According to the missus Weymouth's a good place to get em.

[Matt]

Anyone tried getting razor clams? According to the missus Weymouth's a good place to get em.

Me and the kids have had a go, to no avail. We were looking for a pair of keyhole shaped holes at low tide armed with the obligatory table salt, any other tips would be appreciated.

Regards, Matt.

[luresalive]

We are pretty fond of them over here too (ah,sweet molly malone),I really love fresh mussels but be careful of the little pearls they are teeth breakers!!

[Martin]

Me and the kids have had a go, to no avail. We were looking for a pair of keyhole shaped holes at low tide armed with the obligatory table salt, any other tips would be appreciated.

Regards, Matt.

Fancy a little trip out at low water tomorrow then? It's at 14:20 so after lunch. :)

Martin

[Fletching]

...just re-watched an episode of Wild Foods with RM where he pours salt and water into the razor clams' holes then just holds onto them when they slide up out of the sand.

[swkieran]

ill ask the brixham fisherman when im over there next try and get some tips for you matt :)

[GaryBeaner]

I'm sure i read that the hole looks very similar to a lugworm's and it's easy to confuse the two???

[Martin]

Well, we're back from our little coastal foray but sadly totally sans razor clams. Didn't see any holes that looked remotely like we've been shown or told about. Still, twas a good excuse for a walk along the shore at low water and gives us an even better excuse to do it again real soon. :)

Martin

[Tony1948]

They read on the forum that you were comming and did a runner,thats the problem with being so popular.

[OKBushcraft]

Sure is interesting to read of your exploits. All Greek to me though. Land locked in the center of the US.

[leon-1]

Have a read of River cottage Handbook no 5, Edible Seashore. It has a number of tips for collecting Razor clams. From what I can gather though the better time to catch them is just before low water is at it's fullest and their holes still have water above them.

Actually if you can get hold of the book it's a very good read full stop.

[Tony1948]

OKbushcraft,No it's not Greek we'r talking about it's East End cockney grub, lol, you'll have crawfish wot we call crayfish,fresh water mussels i think you guys call them clames and river trout all good camp fire food.You guys have got possom and wild turkeys, gritts wot ever they are? Oyes and jack rabits and you guys can have deacent rifels and hand guns anyway atb............tony.

[jbrown14]

Even up here in New York (not the City) we have crawfish and freshwater mussels. Some lakes in the Adirondack mountains are loaded with mussells. I spend a day with a diving mask and waterproof flashlight diving and catching them on a couple of trips. Must have collected a couple of dozen in less than two hours time. The main difference between freshwater mussels and saltwater ones is the bland taste of the freshwater ones. Saltwater pre-seasons them for you, and I never realized how much until the first time I ate the freshwater mussels. I've never found enough crawfish or big enough to eat, but they make great bait for bass and walleye.

[spiritofold]

So what do you reckon the best pie and mash shop is in the London area??

My missus and kids want to goto one....

Andy

[Roadkillphil]

Spent Sunday down Polly Joke, a quiet secluded beach close to me, with my son Corey. The idea was to forage for our lunch, and explore the caves, rockpools and coastline. I foraged some noodles and a selection of spices from my pack, and added some freshly picked limpets and mussels and samphire for a shellfish curry. Twas hansome, and Corey loved it too... apart from the limpets, he tried one and found them to chewy and tasteless, so I et them all. I had to agree on taste and texture though, very chewy and probably better cooked with strong spices :). The mussels were bang on, fresh as, and no 24hr purge. Ive eaten purged and unpurged mussels and cant tell the difference, and never had gut rot from them either!

Prepping, Cooking and Chomping :)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5297/5387572061_c8837a2a61.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7904270@N07/5387572061/)

[Roadkillphil]

As for razor clams, I reckon south coast is the way (for all ye Cornish) I spend vast amounts of time round the cornish coastline and I rarely see their shells on the north coast. However Ive found piles of the things around St Austell bay area, particularly Porthpean. May have to have a poke around down there soon.

[Matt]

Hey bud,

Looks like you two had a great day mate, we too did a coastal forage at Polly Joke, beautiful beach http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/photo-gallery/coastal-forage-polly-joke-beach-6th-dec-2009.html

Thanks for the heads up on the razor clams, we'll have to 'av a gander down the south coast sometime soon :)

Oll an gwella, Matt.

[Martin]

As for razor clams, I reckon south coast is the way (for all ye Cornish) I spend vast amounts of time round the cornish coastline and I rarely see their shells on the north coast. However Ive found piles of the things around St Austell bay area, particularly Porthpean. May have to have a poke around down there soon.

Porthpean?? Really? May have to pop down there tomorrow lunchtime for a look. :)

Martin

[JonnyP]

can't beat a proper cornish made pasty :),some places in this part of devon can make some good ones,devons thing is mainly dairy products and scrumpy :),i was down in truro a couple of months back my fav place in cornwall love heading down the atlantic highway across bodmin moor devon/cornwall border :)

I have to admit my fav pasties come from Devon.. Rodney Cleaves butchers in Ashburton makes the best around imo.. The sausage rolls from there are fantastic too..

[Roadkillphil]

Thats a great set of photos Matt. Looks like you guys had a good day too. I'd love to tag on with any forays, as my primary interest at the mo is learnin wildfoods. I'm keen for a porthpean mission too at some point.
Good luck Martin, let us know if you find some :)

[swkieran]

you just wont get a proppa pasty outside of devon an cornwall,love the pics matt looks like the gang had a fine day :) foraging.Were on a penisula the northern side is colder than the southern side razor clams love or prefer warmer water i think:)

[Martin]

JonnyP and Spiritofold's off topic chat has been moved here:

JonnyP-and-Spiritofold-s-Gossip-Thread (http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?692-JonnyP-and-Spiritofold-s-Gossip-Thread-))

Enjoy :)

Martin

[Roadkillphil]

Wellll, I was working up in Paignton this morn and found a bajillion of these on the seafront either side of the pier.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5179/5415627392_9e18b3cb20.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7904270@N07/5415627392/)

It was about mid tide and dropping and if I wasn't pushed for time, I would've waited for it to drop out more and go have a poke about.

As for Porthpean, I'm hopeful, but I also have a few other spots in mind for razor hunting if unsuccessful.

[Martin]

Glad I've had my lunch. Just thinking of butter, garlic, white wine.... :)

Martin

[CanadianMike]

Even up here in New York (not the City) we have crawfish and freshwater mussels. Some lakes in the Adirondack mountains are loaded with mussells. I spend a day with a diving mask and waterproof flashlight diving and catching them on a couple of trips. Must have collected a couple of dozen in less than two hours time. The main difference between freshwater mussels and saltwater ones is the bland taste of the freshwater ones. Saltwater pre-seasons them for you, and I never realized how much until the first time I ate the freshwater mussels. I've never found enough crawfish or big enough to eat, but they make great bait for bass and walleye.

We have those around Ottawa too, had been looking to see if the mussels around here are edible or not (I used to swim for them and use for fishbait), now I found an answer, yes, but bland. And we only have little crayfish too, biggest I've seen has been maybe 2.5" long?

[Martin]

So, Porthpean proved to be a washout!!! However, Ash's wife Claire did manage to find an empty razor clam shell so there must be some in the area, just that we couldn't find them. :ashamed:

Better luck next time I hope.

Martin

[jbrown14]

We have those around Ottawa too, had been looking to see if the mussels around here are edible or not (I used to swim for them and use for fishbait), now I found an answer, yes, but bland. And we only have little crayfish too, biggest I've seen has been maybe 2.5" long?

Yeah, Mike. I keep meaning to bring spices or some white wine or something to cook them in next time, but I usually forget. The only thing to be worried about is which body of water you're getting them out of. Maybe I'll try mixing them in with my Ramen noodles next time...

Josh

[Martin]

So, we went out looking for razor clams today. When things weren't going well, the conversation got onto where we'd seen razor clams being fished for. We both agreed that YouTube would be a good place to see where we were going wrong and luckily my phone had good HSDPA reception so I fired up YouTube for some inspiration. This is the video we watched, it didn't help with finding the razor clams but it certainly put a smile on our faces. Enjoy!!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZi3_U89VGI

Martin

[Tony1948]

A lovely pair of razor clams, I wouldant wont to mutch salt on them. LOL Martin you wouldant get wot you bought now off the better half if you took them home

[Martin]

A lovely pair of razor clams, I wouldant wont to mutch salt on them. LOL Martin you wouldant get wot you bought now off the better half if you took them home

lol Tony. I had to share them with everyone. :)

Martin

[Roadkillphil]

So, Porthpean proved to be a washout!!! However, Ash's wife Claire did manage to find an empty razor clam shell so there must be some in the area, just that we couldn't find them. :ashamed:

Better luck next time I hope.

Martin

Unlucky folks, I couldnt make it out today unfortunately :( , would've been nice to meet up. Hope you had a nice day anyhows.

Phil

[Martin]

Unlucky folks, I couldnt make it out today unfortunately :( , would've been nice to meet up. Hope you had a nice day anyhows.

Phil

No worries Phil. There will always be another day. :)

Martin

[swkieran]

hi phil just read the thread back and noticed you were in my neck of the woods :) ,what were you doing in paignton work or day out,and yes youre right theres loads of razor clams

[Roadkillphil]

hi phil just read the thread back and noticed you were in my neck of the woods :) ,what were you doing in paignton work or day out,and yes youre right theres loads of razor clams

My weekday work takes me all over the SW from Penzance to Southampton and up as far as Bristol sometimes too. Torbay is a weekly regular trip for me, sometimes two or three times a week dependent on workload. Actually I'm working all over Torbay tomorrow starting at 06:30, which means leaving my place at 0430! I'm hoping to be cooked by early afternoon, so was thinking of having a poke around at low tide ish about 14:00 onwards. I bought some salt today especially for the occasion. My workmate was born and bred Torquay and he used to hunt them as a kid he reckons spring low is better than neaps, they'll be found on all the beaches from torquay to paignton. He's also tipped me with a couple of methods too. It's spring tides heading towards neaps, so not the best but still it's fairly big tides, and if no joy then a pleasant stroll on the beach is always good for the tubes :)

All the best

Phil

[swkieran]

sounds like you have a fantastic job phil,yeah they can be found all over here,another tip if you have more time,youre friend will know of this place if hes from torquay,is a place called elbury cove which is a shortwalk from broadsands beach, its a secluded cove with pebble beach and rocks even a very nice woodland aswell lol,and its a great place for mussles,limpets,winkles etc as its no were near any sewage or storm drain outfalls,enjoy m8 :)

[Roadkillphil]

Thanks for the tip on Elbury SWK

I had to leave Torbay at midday to go repair some stoof on the tamar bridge, which I managed to wrap up quickly. So I legged it down Par for the low tide to try my luck....

Loadsa empty shells on the beach and I found a few razor holes too. Tried the salt sprinkling and there was definately movement, but no show. The hole kept bulging and opening, but no sign of Mr Razor. After 10 mins sprinkling at one hole I even tried digging with my handy orange trowel from backpackinglight (which dug like a demon through the sand btw), but still no sign. :rolleye:

There were a few lug hunters kicking around and I got chatting to one and he gave me some more tips on when, where and how to find these badboys.

So, came home empty handed, but armed with a little more experience and knowledge ready for the next hunt. :wink:

[swkieran]

yw mate :), razors move like hell off leather lol,ive always found youve got to be really silent with youre footsteps,when walking around the foreshore as they sense vibration similar to limpets,but only tip i really know

[YESUMBOS]

We walked out to Boulie Beack (between Par & Polkerris) a few weeks ago, Loads of razor shells there at low tide, also went down around Mylor & Flushing, loads of mussels, oysters, Clams etc down there too,

[Roadkillphil]

We walked out to Boulie Beack (between Par & Polkerris) a few weeks ago, Loads of razor shells there at low tide

Magic, Thats where the Lugger chap said was a dead cert. He reckons Equinoxal spring low.

[YESUMBOS]

try catching a load, cooking em up and camping on the beach, its a really secluded bay, take a rod with you bound to be a few pollack n doggies up for grabs

[Martin]

I take it that beach is cut off at high water? But accessible on every low tide?

Martin

[YESUMBOS]

No,its not cut off, if you follow the cliff path from Par beach to Polkerris it will take you right there. It is quite a steep beach, but there are flatter areas at the top, nice spot to go, We have gone there by kayak aswell, if its a very low tide you might even be able to get to it by walking out from par beach itself
Now this is something I intend to do when it warms up a bit, go kayaking, (tarpon 130t)with my tempest 300 tent, etc, find a secluded area and spend a night or 2 on the coast.