Carpet Shell Clam

The carpet shell clam (Ruditapes decussatus) is a prized European bivalve of sandy and muddy substrates along the Atlantic coasts of France, Spain, and Portugal and into the Mediterranean. It is the palourde of France and the almeja fina of Spain, where it commands premium prices and is protected by designated origin regulations in some regions. Farmed and wild-harvested in the estuaries and sandflats of Brittany and Normandy and along the Iberian Atlantic, its firm, sweet, brine-rich flesh is eaten raw on the half shell, in pasta, and in the French classics of fruits de mer platters and clams mariniere. In tinned conservas it is less common than mussels or cockles, but appears from artisan French, Spanish, and Portuguese producers as one of the finest clam species available, typically packed in natural juices or a light brine.