A Diamond Shell is a wild surf clam, Crassula aequilatera, wild harvested from the surf zone at 3–5 metres off Marlborough at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. It has a beige shell around rich, deep-coloured meat and a white tongue, with a meat-to-shell ratio of 28–35%.
It is one of three species in the Cloudy Bay Clams collection, alongside the Storm Shell and the Tua Tua, and the most versatile of the three in a working kitchen. In retail packs it is sold as Vongole.
Where Diamond Shell Come From
Cloudy Bay Clams has wild harvested surf clams from Marlborough’s pristine, nutrient-rich beaches since 1990. Diamond Shell sit in the surf zone, and we take them from 3–5 metres of water using a selective winnowing rake that lifts only market-ready mature clams. Undersized clams go back to the seabed undisturbed to replenish stocks, and every catch is hand-sorted by species on board.
From the moment they leave the seabed the clams are held on deck in aerated seawater tanks, regularly refreshed, so they arrive back on shore alive, clean and unstressed. At our Blenheim facility they are laid single-layer in tanks bathed in oxygen-enhanced deep-ocean seawater. That depuration step is what makes them exceptionally clean and grit-free. Our processing facility is USFDA-approved, the clams and the water they come from are tested regularly, and cartons leave under full NZFSA compliance, cooled below 10°C for export.
What a Diamond Shell Tastes Like
Served cooked, the Diamond Shell opens with a sweet, fresh sea spray aroma and a clean “wild ocean” flavour. On the plate there is a fresh, fragrant scent of seaweed, a rich, buttery flavour, and a discreet nutty aftertaste. It is a rounder, softer clam than the Storm Shell, which is why it carries dressings and sauces so well.
Sizes, Grades And Formats
Diamond Shell run from under 45 mm to 45+ mm and are graded two ways: Standard at roughly 25–35 pieces per kilogram, and Petite at roughly 75–80 pieces per kilogram. They ship in four formats:
- Loose Live — live clams straight from our depuration tanks, delivered kitchen-ready for the pan, the pot and the grill.
- MAP Live 1 kg — a modified-atmosphere pack, retail-ready, with a 6-day shelf life.
- Blanched 500 g and 1 kg — chilled, ready-to-eat cooked clams with a 1-year refrigerated shelf life. Keep refrigerated and serve.
- Frozen IQF 1 kg — individually quick frozen, export-ready, with a two-year shelf life.
The Diamond Shell is the species in our range that we offer blanched.
How Chefs Use It
The Diamond Shell is equally at home on a platter or in dressings and sauces, and it suits the pan, the pot and the grill. In our own kitchen, chef Jason Roberts cooks Cloudy Bay Diamond Shell clams with crispy chilli, peanuts and honey: heat, crunch and sweetness set against the clean brine of the clam.
Three Diamond Shell recipes are on the site: blanched clams in a linguini with zucchini, garlic and chilli, clams with wakame, citrus and chilli, and petite clams in XO sauce. You can find all of them on the recipes page.
Getting Diamond Shell Into Your Kitchen
We supply restaurants, distributors and export partners across Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, the USA and Asia-Pacific, with weekly availability updates for chefs and buyers. Grades, formats and shelf life are all set out on the Diamond Shell product page. Tell us what you need on the Enquire Now page, or take the “Or book a call” option there to book a time with us.
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