Is Fresh Clam Chowder Expected to Have Sand?

[Stephen Tashi]

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.

 

[Astronuc]

I would imagine that 'fresh clams' probably have grains of sand in them, since they are filter feeders.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Plenty of minerals in clam chowder!

 

[hutchphd]

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".