We cannot dispose of the shell fish of San Francisco without a word or
two about clams, for certainly there is no place where they are in
greater variety and better flavor. In fact the clam is the only bivalve
of this part of the coast that has a distinctive and good flavor.
Several varieties are to be found in the markets, the best and rarest
being the little rock clams that come from around Drake's Bay, just
above the entrance to Golden Gate. These are most delicious in flavor
and should never be eaten otherwise than raw. The sand, or hard shell,
or as they are sometimes called little necks, are next in choiceness,
and then come the Pismo beach clams, noted for their flavor and enormous
size. The mud clam is good for chowder but not so good as either of the
other varieties mentioned.
The Bohemian way to have your clams is to go to the shore of Bolinas Bay
or some other equally retired spot, and have a clam bake, or else take a
pot along with the other ingredients and have a good clam chowder. This,
however, may be prepared at any time and is always a good meal.
Clam fritters when prepared according to the recipe given herein, is one
of the best methods of preparing the clam, and it has the peculiarity of
being so tasty that one feels that there is never enough cooked.
Of all the ways of cooking clams chowder takes precedence as a rule, and
it is good when made properly. By that we do not mean the thin, watery
stuff that is served in most of the restaurants and called clam chowder
just because it happens to be made every Friday. That is fairly good as
a clam soup but it is no more chowder than a Mexican soup approaches a
crawfish bisque. There is but one right way to make clam chowder, and
that is either to make it yourself or closely superintend the making,
and this is the way to make it: