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The Clams’ Time to Shine

Thu, 09/26/2024 - 13:34
The largest specimen entered from five East Hampton Town water bodies will win the crown.
Durell Godfrey

The East Hampton Town Trustees’ annual Largest Clam Contest will be held on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. at the Amagansett Life-Saving and Coast Guard Station on Atlantic Avenue.

It will be the first time the contest has been held at the station, and the first time it has happened at all since 2022, as bad weather forced the cancellation of last year’s.

Those wishing to enter monster clams may still have time. Digging can take place through Saturday in Accabonac Harbor, Three Mile Harbor, Napeague Harbor, Lake Montauk, and Hog Creek. Contestants can enter only one clam, and should take their largest specimen to the Amagansett Seafood Store, Stuart’s Seafood Market in Amagansett, the Seafood Shop in Wainscott, or the Montauk Seafood Company before 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Entries will be weighed by judges on Sunday, and there will be winners in adult and youth categories for each harbor, with one quahog to be crowned the biggest of them all. All contestants must be East Hampton Town residents and hold a town shellfish permit.

Chefs take note: There will also be a clam chowder contest, and those who wish to enter are asked to take heated 32-ounce containers of their chowders to the Life-Saving Station by 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Judges will consider appearance, body, balance of ingredients, and depth of flavor.

The day will include music by Hopefully Forgiven, a live marine species exhibition, and free chowder, clams on the half shell, and clam pie while they last. A Mister Softee ice cream truck will be on hand, too.

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