Monday, June 11, 2007

Professional Clammer

Over the weekend Lou Ann was offered a rare experience. Morty Gaskill, Ocracoke Island's youngest commercial fisherman (he is 13 years old), asked Lou Ann to join him to gather clams on his clam beds. Out in Pamlico Sound in Morty's working skiff (Lou Ann got to sit on a cooler), they anchored several hundred yards from the beds and waded to their destination. On hands and knees in the shallow water they dug 500 clams in less than an hour to sell at the local fish market.

I am hoping Lou Ann will share the entire experience in a monthly newsletter later this summer. For now, just know that she had a fabulous time (Morty is knowledgeable not only about the day to day life of a fisherman, but also about state and national issues that impact commercial fishermen), and enjoy the photos below, from her day with a professional clammer. Morty insisted that Lou Ann take several dozen clams that we fixed for lunch today as "clams casino." Needless to say, they were super!

Nets at the Dock:



Two Boxes of Fresh Clams:



Just Out of the Oven:



Take a journey back in time with our latest Ocracoke Newsletter. You can capture some of the thrill of riding on the old mailboat Aleta by clicking here.
Posted by at

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:56 PM

    I've had clams casino at Cafe Atlantic...if the ones pictured are even close in taste to theirs I'm putting in an order for some of yours the next time I visit the island! I'll buy, you fix!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous6:33 AM

    Phillip - What's your recipe??

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous5:10 PM

    On the only blind date I've ever been on we went clam digging not far off of Hatteras Village. So we not only had fun but there was none of the who's paying ordeal! Perhaps this isn't everyone's idea of a first date, but it was relaxing & we got to get all wet & yucky which helps take the edge off any nervousness.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Philip5:11 PM

    The recipe is simple. Open clams and arrange on the half shell. Pour a small amount of white wine on the clams. Top with a small piece of bacon, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Broil until the bacon is crisp, about 10-15 minutes or so. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)