Clams vs. Mussels: What's The Difference?
If you’re looking to expand your seafood horizons and weighing the merits of clams vs. mussels, you may be wondering how they’re different. They’re both between shells, after all, so it’s easy to think that the two are virtually interchangeable. But that’s not quite true. Mussels and clams are different both taxonomically and in cooking, so let’s dig in (pun intended) and figure out what differentiates mussels vs. clams.
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- What Are Clams?
- What Are Mussels?
- What Similarities Are There Between Mussels and Clams?
- What Is the Difference Between Mussels and Clams?
- Can You Substitute Clams for Mussels, and Vice Versa
What Are Clams?
You’ve probably seen a clam before. If you’ve ever been beachcombing and found half of a round shell with a hinge at the back, you’re already familiar with the shape of a clam. Clams are bivalve mollusks, a type of invertebrate with a hinged shell, and can be found in both fresh and saltwater.
Their taste is salty and firm, though it varies by variety, and they can be eaten raw, though they are more typically steamed. They’re also used in a variety of dishes like ceviche or pasta — say, linguine with clam sauce. Below, some of the most commonly served varieties are listed to give you an idea of the variations in flavor and texture between types of clams.
Types of Clams
Geoduck
Pronounced “gooey-duck,” the geoduck is a large variety of clam native to the northern Pacific coast of North America – roughly, Oregon to Alaska. Geoduck clams are briny and a little chewier than some other varieties of clam, and they’re strongly associated with the Pacific Northwest.
Manila
Also called “steamer clams,” these are the variety most people envision when they picture a clam: small, symmetrical hard-shell clams with ridged shells. They have a sweet taste and are most often served steamed and sauced. Manila clams originated in Japan, where they’re known as “asari,” and are now cultivated throughout the West Coast of North America.
Steamer
Confusingly, both the East and West coasts of North America have a clam variety with this name, but unlike the Manila clam, the East Coast steamer is a soft-shell variety, meaning that its shell is highly brittle. They’re found in New England and, as the name indicates, are usually served steamed with butter.
Quahog
A relatively broad designation, “quahog” is a general term for hard-shell clams of all sizes found on North America’s East Coast. They are subdivided into varieties based on size. They tend to be sweet, and smaller varieties like the Littleneck and Cherrystone can be eaten raw.
Atlantic Razor
Unlike the previous species, these clams are elongated in shape rather than round, and with their delicately sweet flavor and tender texture, they’re often the clam of choice in fine dining establishments.
Pacific Razor
If you’ve ever gone digging for clams on the West Coast, you were likely looking for the Pacific razor clam, an elongated species with a rounder shell and a meatier flavor than its East Coast counterpart. Their sturdiness makes them highly versatile and they can be used in dishes from chowder to ceviche.
What Are Mussels?
So what makes mussels vs. clams different, then? To answer that, we have to look at what a mussel actually is.
Like clams, mussels are a bivalve mollusk with a hinged shell. They have an oval-shaped, elongated shell and different species can be found growing in both marine and freshwater environments. In terms of where to find them, they grow all along the East Coast of North America, all the way up to the Arctic Ocean!
The most common species sold and served in the U.S. is the PEI mussel, which hails from Canada’s Prince Edward Island, and they are always sold alive since a dead mussel contains harmful bacteria that can make you sick unless cooked alive. They tend to have a briny taste, balanced by a slight sweetness, and their texture is often compared to that of a mushroom.
Types of Mussels
There are about seventeen edible types of mussel, in comparison to the roughly 150 edible clams. Let's take a look at five varieties you're likely to come across on your culinary adventures.
PEI mussels
A subspecies of the much more broadly distributed blue mussel, these mussels are between two and four inches long. They have jet-black shells, despite the “blue” designation, and are known for their sweet flavor.
Mediterranean mussels
These sweet, buttery mussels are highly sought-after in culinary circles, but not environmental ones — they’re an invasive species in many regions. Originally found in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, they’ve now spread to the Pacific, but the ones you’re most likely to eat will be cultivated.
New Zealand green-lipped mussels
Named for the distinctive appearance of their shells, these mussels have a sweet taste and supposedly contain compounds that reduce inflammation. Research into their medicinal properties has not turned up convincing evidence that they actually do, but they are still popular for their sweetness and robust size.
Pacific blue mussels
Slightly briny, the Pacific blue mussel is cultivated along the northern Pacific coast of North America and is recognizable by its ridged, jet-black shell.
Zebra mussels
Lately, zebra mussels have been in the news for less-than-flattering reasons: another invasive species, they’ve been decimating the native ecosystems of lakes and rivers in the eastern U.S. for decades. Although they’re edible if grown in a contaminant-free environment, this is one type of mussel that the U.S. Geological Survey highly recommends you leave off your plate, as they’re filter-feeders and take in toxins and contaminants from the water they live in. Not so tasty.
What Similarities Are There Between Mussels and Clams?
Now that we know the properties of clams vs. mussels, which do they have in common? Both are mollusks and filter-feeders, meaning that they use specialized body structures to capture and filter the microscopic organisms that they eat from the water, so the basic biology of clams vs. mussels is fairly similar.
Shape
There isn’t much difference in the body structure of clams vs. mussels. Both are composed of an invertebrate animal inside a hinged bivalve shell.
Habitat
The habitat ranges of clams vs. mussels are similar, with both preferring cold waters. What's more, certain species of clams and mussels can survive in both marine and freshwater environments.
Taste and Texture
In terms of taste and texture, a comparison of clams vs. mussels will turn up some differences, but there are still a few things they have in common. Firstly, though the degree can vary slightly in clams vs. mussels, they both have a briny flavor.
Both clams and mussels can be slightly chewy in texture, though it varies by variety and mussels tend to be less so than clams. They’re also both commonly farmed for sale as food, which makes them very sustainable choices in the seafood aisle.
Cooking Methods
The cooking process isn’t very different when preparing clams vs. mussels. Both cook quickly and should pop open on their own when they’re done, and neither should be eaten if they’re already dead when you go to cook them.
A tip to ensure you're cooking with live clams or mussels is to gently shake them in the pot or bag before cooking. Those that close up are alive — the rest are either dead or dying and should be discarded. When cooked, any that haven't opened should also be thrown away.
What Is the Difference Between Mussels and Clams?
We wouldn’t be here if there weren’t notable differences between clams vs. mussels, would we? Here are just a few of the most notable distinctions.
Life Habits
Clams and mussels live in similar habitats, but they do so quite differently. Clams burrow into the mud, which is why digging them up is a popular pastime in some areas, while mussels tend to cling to structures like rocks, ropes, or ships. (This is how zebra mussels end up in places they don’t belong!) When farmed, mussels grow on lines suspended in tanks.
Shape
The shell shape of clams vs. mussels is their most visually apparent difference. There are a variety of shapes found in clams vs. mussels, which are always oblong and roughly oval-shaped. Though not all varieties follow this rule, clams tend to be rounder in shape.
Size
The size of clams vs. mussels is another significant visual difference. Clams come in a variety of sizes, while mussels are almost always 2-5 inches long, though they can grow up to 8.
Color
Typically, colorations are white or light gray for clams vs. mussels, which are usually dark blue or black.
Flavor
The flavors of clams vs. mussels vary across species, but they can be broadly generalized. Clams tend to be slightly sweet and slightly briny, but these flavors depend greatly on the properties of the water they live in. This also impacts the firmness of their texture. Mussels, on the other hand, are much more likely to be farmed, so their flavor varies much less since they tend to be raised in controlled conditions. A good rule of thumb: brinier for clams vs. sweeter for mussels.
Texture
There are also some textural notes to bear in mind when discerning clams vs. mussels. Mussels tend to be more tender than clams, which can be slightly chewy.
Culinary Usage
While the look of mussels vs. clams is similar, they’re served quite differently. Mussels are more likely to be served in simpler dishes, just steamed or baked. Clams, on the other hand, are often used in other dishes rather than as a stand-alone. Recipes like chowder, ceviche and pasta (this seafood linguini is one great option) often make use of clams, while mussels tend to be — but aren’t always! — their own centerpiece.
How To Tell Clams and Mussels Apart
Now that you have a grasp on the differences between clams vs. mussels, you’ll be able to guess how to tell them apart. Just to be sure, here are some tips:
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Color: are you looking at a dark shell or a light one? This is one easy difference between clams vs. mussels — they will be, respectively, either whitish or nearly black.
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Shape: the round shell of a clam vs. mussels, which are oblong, is an easy giveaway.
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Taste: even if your mystery mollusk is already cooked, you can tell the difference between clams vs. mussels by taste. A clam will likely taste brinier than a mussel.
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Texture: Likewise, texture will help you differentiate between clams vs. mussels. If your seafood is notably chewy, it’s most likely a clam. If tender, it’s probably a mussel.
Can You Substitute Clams for Mussels, and Vice Versa?
While clams vs. mussels have a lot in common, trying to use them interchangeably is not recommended. The differences in texture between clams vs. mussels might mean that a mussel used in a recipe that calls for clams doesn’t hold up, or that a clam adds unwanted toughness to a mussel-centric dish.
Likewise, the flavor of clams vs. mussels isn’t consistent enough to pass one off for the other, so the wrong choice of clams vs. mussels might not pair well with the other flavors in the recipe if used. Thus, substitutions aren’t ultimately recommended — trust that there’s a reason the recipe calls for one clams vs. mussels or vice versa.
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Now that you’re an expert on the topic of clams vs. mussels, the choice of mollusks in the fish aisle will never elude you again. So get out there and enjoy the ocean’s bounty; armed with your new knowledge, you may just find that your favorite answer to the question of clams vs. mussels is “both!”
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