What is the difference between clams?
We love Sheng Siong! Especially its wide array of live seafood. I often find myself stumbling at the clam section, for there are varieties of clams at so many different price points. Do they all taste the same? Is the pricier clam tastier?
In this post, we set about evaluating 3 different clams available at Sheng Siong for taste, salinity and sweetness. We steamed all of them for 90 secs.
Live Hard Clams
Price: $3.80/kg, cheapest of the lot
Look: Medium size with brown coloured shell and white flesh
Taste: The brine and flesh taste least clam-y of the 3
Salinity: Saltiest of the 3
The Mixtape Chef Review: Cheap but not a lot of clam character. I wouldn't be using this.
Lettered Venus Clams
Price: $6.50/kg
Look: Small with shell that has stripes like sun rays and orange coloured flesh
Taste: Medium Clam-iness accompanied with a nice sweetness
Salinity: Medium low salinity
The Mixtape Chef Review: The sweetness will work beautifully in Vongole or soups. This is my Vongole clam of choice. It reminds me of the Asari clams in miso soup you find in Japanese restaurants. I cam not sure if it is of the same species.
Angel Venus Clams
Price: $8.90/kg
Look: Medium size with its unmistakable white and black stripes on it's shell
Taste: A robust clam flavour!
Salinity: High salinity in both the brine and flesh
The Mixtape Chef Review: The robust clam flavours stands well in heavier flavoured dishes. However, the high salinity may be an issue for dishes like Vongole where it can get too salty. Our clam of choice for our Paella!
Hope you find our clam study useful the next time you find yourself stuck at the clam section. Please feel free to share this post with your friends and let us know if you have found more clams species in Singapore.
May the Clam be with you!
Kenneth Yong
The Mixtape Chef