Is Fresh Clam Chowder Expected to Have Sand?

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Fresh clam chowder may contain a small amount of sand due to clams being filter feeders, which can lead to grains of sand remaining in the meat. While canned versions often have sand, fresh clams can be purged of sand by keeping them alive in salted water and feeding them corn muffin mix for a couple of days, allowing them to expel the sand. This technique, however, is not applicable to other types of shellfish, such as "prairie oysters." Overall, the presence of sand in clam chowder is a common expectation, especially with fresh clams.
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Is fresh clam chowder expected to have a tiny bit of sand in it (from the clams)? I'm only familiar with the canned versions of clam chowder. Many of them contain a little sand.
 
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I would imagine that 'fresh clams' probably have grains of sand in them, since they are filter feeders.
 
Plenty of minerals in clam chowder!
 
When I lived in Maine we would sometimes eat steamed mussels and steamer clams. To purge the sand I would keep them live in the fridge in salted water and feed them sprinkles of corn muffin mix for a couple of days. The critters would expell the sand and fill their tummies with sweet muffin mix. Yum.

As a midwesterner I can advise that the same technique does not work for "prairie oysters".
 
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