# What is this clam-like thing in food stall? And this eel-like thing in food stall? \[w/ images\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2013, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098 "2013-07-21T07:01:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/1 "2013-07-21T07:01:05Z")
[Clam-like thing.](http://imgur.com/8YuZel4) [Eel-like thing.](http://imgur.com/gmpP5MU) Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/2 "2013-07-21T07:17:15Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > [Clam-like thing.](http://imgur.com/8YuZel4) Oddly enough, they appear to be clams. They look like they may be [cherrystones.](http://www.tastyretreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Cherry-stone-clams.jpg) (But it would help to see the shell itself.) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/3 "2013-07-21T07:52:47Z")
I think the shell in your pic is flatter than in the original, **Colibri**. That curl makes me think of very large and well-filled _berberechos_, which according to a couple of online dictionaries are cockles. As for the eel-like ones, those are _congrios_, which the same dictionaries tell me are called congers. Take into account that food names are one of the hardest things to translate - sometimes two fishes which a dialect or language considers the same are viewed as absolutely different in another. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/4 "2013-07-21T13:02:32Z")
Cherrystone clams usually have a little purple on the shell (at least in my experience) - but the pictured ones look like they must be something quite closely similar. And the eels do look like conger eels to me. Good eating - meaty white flesh that’s quite dense, but tender if cooked quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/5 "2013-07-21T13:09:19Z")
I think you’re both right. About my clam query: :smack: I was thrown by how much miscellaneous meat types in there. About the conger eels: less of a :smack:, I was pretty sure, but didn’t want to influence the jury. **Nava** , cockles are teeny-tiny, and I’ve read toothpicks come in handy. I’ve never had them–they sound fun if you’re not hungry! Thanks to the twos of yous. ETA: **Mangetout** thanks also. Yes, I definitely plan to pick up an eel. They’re crazy hard to find except these and similar, real eel eels in Chinatown. The shop also has other types. (I thought they were better in winter, but the swimming ones now are frisky and white-bellied. Do I know? ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/6 "2013-07-21T13:17:08Z")
Yep they’re definitely not cockles. I love cockles, a jar of pickled cockles make a lovely snack. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/7 "2013-07-21T13:17:29Z")
Also, it seemed/seems odd that these clams would be displayed open, as opposed to the various other types laid out or in piles. Maybe because these are so humongous? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/8 "2013-07-21T13:20:52Z")
If you’re buying the whole eel, make sure you have a very good, sharp knife - the skin is as tough as leather. The normal method is to slice the eel into steaks - there will be some bones to deal with (the animal is almost entirely one long ribcage) - best to leave the bones in and pick them out after cooking/eat around them. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/9 "2013-07-21T13:28:21Z")
**Asymptotically** , are you a Brit? Brits love [Hot Cockles](https://www.google.com/search?q=hot+cockles+game&safe=off&client=safari&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=i-DrUbv6BvXF4APQxYCACA&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=672). So did the French, according to Fragonard. Before this turns into a CS thread–and to prevent it with the thin veneer of a general query–is conger eel that much different than other eels that a cut, slice, and pliers won’t work? ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/10 "2013-07-21T13:37:42Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > **Asymptotically** , are you a Brit? Brits love [Hot Cockles](https://www.google.com/search?q=hot+cockles+game&safe=off&client=safari&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=i-DrUbv6BvXF4APQxYCACA&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=672). So did the French, according to Fragonard. > > Before this turns into a CS thread–and to prevent it with the thin veneer of a general query–is conger eel that much different than other eels that a cut, slice, and pliers won’t work? Yes, I am British, but I’ve never heard of hot cockles. Cockles though are a definitely a British delicacy. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/11 "2013-07-21T14:20:50Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > **Nava** , cockles are teeny-tiny, and I’ve read toothpicks come in handy. I Not necessarily. Some species can get up to three inches. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/12 "2013-07-21T14:47:29Z")
It’s difficult to identify the particular variety of clams from that picture. They could be surf clams, but there are lots of regional variations of the common littlenecks and cherrystones. They could possibly be young geoducks, but I don’t have a frame of reference for that. I assume they are displayed on the half shell because they’ve been prepared to eat, or to show that they are delicious looking meaty clams. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/13 "2013-07-21T15:11:51Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > Yes, I am British, but I’ve never heard of hot cockles. Cockles though are a definitely a British delicacy. See link. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/14 "2013-07-21T15:18:02Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It’s difficult to identify the particular variety of clams from that picture. They could be surf clams, but there are lots of regional variations of the common littlenecks and cherrystones. They could possibly be young geoducks, but I don’t have a frame of reference for that. I assume they are displayed on the half shell because they’ve been prepared to eat, or to show that they are delicious looking meaty clams. Yeah, about the display. Gosh, next to them are incredible pulsing razor clams at absurdly low prices. Ditto conchs and geoducks (neither of which I’ve had). It should be a law that pronunciation guides are printed whenever the animals are mentioned. I only learned a few years ago. So, to fight ignorance: [conk] [goo-y duck]. I would love to see an etymology of that pronunciation. It is totally incomprehensible to me. A shibboleth of the fish community, undoubtedly. \*“Etymology of that pronunciation:” there must be a real word for this. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/15 "2013-07-21T17:38:09Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > **Nava** , cockles are teeny-tiny, and I’ve read toothpicks come in handy. I’ve never had them–they sound fun if you’re not hungry! _Berberechos_ with their shells vary in size from one of the bones of a thumb (the ones you’re likely to find canned in water, and for which the meaty bits are smaller than each of a little finger’s bones) to half my palm (nobody is dumb enough to can these); even for someone with size 3 feet, those last ones aren’t small. So from what\*\* Chefguy\*\* says it could really be the right translation (can’t vow for the right identification, of course). What, you guys didn’t know the Body-based Measurement System for sizing food? It’s pretty common around here, leading to things such as someone saying “oh, about a hand’s worth” and being asked back “whose hand, a lady’s or a trucker’s?” ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/16 "2013-07-21T19:26:48Z")
People pronounce conch as “con-ch,” although I get the impression that in some areas it marks you as a tourist. The real pronunciation of geoduck can’t actually be pronounced by any human tongue as it requires 3 tentacle speaking organs and the screams of a human sacrifice to say properly. And that doesn’t look like pictures I’ve seen of geoduck, even with the “phallus” cut off, but I’m no expert. I am used to raw surf clam as sushi, and it usually is [bright red](http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/clams-surf.jpg), mind you that that doesn’t mean the the OP saw a different type of surf clam. Conger would look [like this I think](http://www.aboutsushi.net/img/menu/sushi_anago.jpg), although I don’t see it on menus often enough to remember if I’ve seen it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/17 "2013-07-21T21:04:54Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I am used to raw surf clam as sushi, and it usually is [bright red](http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/clams-surf.jpg), mind you that that doesn’t mean the the OP saw a different type of surf clam. Surf clams served as sushi are precooked and cleaned. I think the red color at the foot comes out in the cooking process. The ones I’ve seen raw have the orange tint of many other clams. That is not to say the ones shown in the OP are definitely surf clams though. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/18 "2013-07-21T21:34:31Z")
If only someone could come up with a good “Hot 3 inch cockle” joke… ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/19 "2013-07-21T22:22:23Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > **Nava** , cockles are teeny-tiny, and I’ve read toothpicks come in handy. I’ve never had them–they sound fun if you’re not hungry! Are you sure you’re not thinking of periwinkles? Cockles don’t really match your description. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098/20 "2013-07-22T01:03:45Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > Are you sure you’re not thinking of periwinkles? Cockles don’t really match your description. :smack: That makes three. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-clam-like-thing-in-food-stall-and-this-eel-like-thing-in-food-stall-w-images/664098.md?page=2)