The first step, as with ANY clam you use, is to wash it inside and out. This may sound odd, but clams are generally sold with some sand and salt residue still remaining on the outside and there is nothing worst than biting into a clam and crunching on sand. Although, a sandy inside is not usually a huge issue with Little Necks, I still like to err on the side of caution. So, clams are zipped up pretty tightly… how do you get the inside clean you ask? Well, its simple, you need to provide them with an environment in which they might feel comfortable opening up their shells to take in some water. I do this with cold cold cold tap water and salt. And it works every time. Sometimes I throw some black pepper in there to make them sneaze, mostly I just do that with Steamer clams though.