How to Catch Pen Shells
Pen shells are large fan-shaped clams standing buried point-down in seagrass and sand, yielding a single sweet, scallop-like adductor muscle prized in many cuisines - gathered by hand wading or diving where allowed.
Pen shell shells are sharp and brittle - wear gloves. Only the adductor muscle is eaten. Check local rules (some pen shells are protected or restricted), and gather only from clean, open water. Shellfish is a serious allergen.
Pen shells are the hidden scallops of the seagrass flats - large, fan-shaped clams that stand upright, buried point-down in sand and grass with just their fluted edge showing. You do not eat the whole animal: inside is a single round adductor muscle, sweet and firm like a scallop, prized in Mediterranean, Asian and Latin kitchens. Gathered by hand while wading or diving where the rules allow, they are an unusual, rewarding catch for the knowing forager.
Why go for them
The reward is that scallop-like muscle - sweet, firm and delicious seared like a scallop - from a clam most people never notice. Gathering them from a clear seagrass flat is a pleasant wade or dive, and the payoff is a delicacy that rarely appears in shops, which makes finding your own genuinely satisfying.
Where and when to find them
Pen shells stand buried upright in seagrass beds and sandy bottoms in warm coastal water, their fluted top edge protruding just above the bottom. Gather them in the warmer months where local rules allow, wading or free-diving clear shallow flats on a calm day when you can spot the exposed shell edges.
How to catch them
Spot the protruding shell edge, then work the clam free of the sand by hand and lift it - wear gloves, as the thin shell is sharp and brittle. Cut out the round adductor muscle on the spot or at home, and return the rest. Take only what you will use, and only where gathering them is permitted.
Handling, cleaning and cooking
Only the adductor muscle is eaten. Trim and rinse it, then treat it exactly like a scallop: sear it hot and fast in butter for a minute a side, or slice it for crudo. It is sweet and delicate, so do not overcook. Discard the rest of the animal and the sharp shell carefully.
Safety and the law
Some pen shells are protected or restricted (and populations have declined in places), so check local rules before gathering any. The brittle shell is sharp - wear gloves. Eat only the adductor muscle, from clean, open water, and cook it properly. Shellfish is a serious allergen. See our shellfish safety guide.