Actually, it might be more fun to ask what these all have in common (besides being mollusks, of course!). Can you guess?
These are actually all quahogs!
The quahog (pronounced coe-hog) is a species of hard-shelled clam and the one we most commonly enjoy in our chowders and po boys. All those other names - from little neck on up - are this same species of clam and just refer to how large the clam has grown.
Little Neck: The smallest size of clam, amounting to 7-10 clams per pound.
Cherry Stone: A little larger, you'll get 6-10 cherry stone clams per pound.
Top Neck: These are sometimes also labeled as count neck clams, and they equal roughly 4 clams per pound.
Quahog: These big guys are also called chowder clams and weigh in at a mighty 2-3 clams per pound.
Which type of clam to buy depends on how you want to prepare them. The clams get tougher and chewier as they get larger, making these sizes ideal for chowders, stuffing, frying, and other cooked preparations. Choose smaller sizes when quickly steaming, grilling, or eating raw.
What's your favorite way to enjoy clams?
Related: How to Clean the Sand out of Clams
(Image: Flickr member Jim Epler licensed under Creative Commons)
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Stuffed quahogs - with chorico in the dressing.
I have a great Linguine and Clams recipe, passed down from my dad...it uses littlenecks. Take a look at the recipe (and some pretty pictures!) here: http://lauraxlei.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/linguine-and-clams/
you have your names and sizes all mixed up counts are tahe little necks 1 inch to 1 1/4 inch at the deepest measure they are called counts because there are 400 "count "per bag wholesale they are measured by thickness instead of diameter now , before ,the smallest little neck was legally 2 inches measured by length , the next size is the top necks which are about 6 to 10 per pound, the next size are the cherriesthey are about 4or 5 to the pound up to 2 1/2 inches anything bigger is a chowder and they can weigh over a pound each when youi get into big older Quahogs some over 20 years old . Thank you, capedavis
I personally like the cherry stone clams raw, and splashed with red wine vinegar with crushed red pepper flakes. It's super simple and incredibly addictive. My family will go through a cooler full of these at a gathering.
I never knew! Thanks for posting this, I love learning something new about one of my favorite foods!
My favorite is little neck clams I usually order them from crabville.com (I live in the mid-west and good seafood is hard to find, y'all!) and have been pretty impressed with theirs.