DH is from NJ and grew up on littlenecks...he can eat them until the cows come home and he said they are littlenecks and they serve them with plain butter as well. Arent littlenecks and clams the same thing????
While littlenecks and steamers are both clams, they are most definately not the same thing. I for one do not care for steamers, but have been known to put a pretty big dent in the Farm Raised Clams with Garlic Butter (A/K/A Littlenecks) that are offered at the Cape May Cafe. Definitions below:
Little Necks (or littlenecks) are the smallest commonly available size of
east coast hard shell clam. They're named after Little Neck Bay on New
York’s Long Island, once an important clamming center. Littlenecks are
the best choice for eating on the half-shell (raw) because they are the
tenderest and sweetest. They're also great steamed, roasted or on
spaghetti.
The soft-shell clam is also known as Manninose, long-neck
clam, steamer, fried clam, Ipswich clam, and belly clam. Its shell is so thin
and brittle that you can easily snap it into pieces with your fingers. The
entire clam is too big to fit inside its shell. The siphon (also called the
snout or neck) hangs out.