Seafood of the season
Showcasing pipi these summer holidays
Pipi (a member of the clam family) are the seafood of our childhood and summer holidays. New Zealanders have great memories of burrowing down in the sand with their big toe or spade and quickly filling a bucket of pipi to cook back at the bach or camping ground.
But just because we’re all grown up doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy pipi these days too. Pipi are a great little seafood and you can do lots with them. Show your children your pipi-gathering technique, take what you need for a meal and try some of our pipi recipes this summer.
Below are some commonly asked questions about pipi and some 'top tips' to remember this summer.
What does pipi taste like?
Pipi has a delicate cream meat with a low oil content. Remember to soak your pipi in a bucket of clean seawater overnight to eliminate grittiness before you cook them.
Where can I gather pipi?
Pipi are common all around New Zealand and the Chatham Islands and available year-round. They are often found on silty sandbars or sandy beaches just inside harbor entrances, especially in areas where there is freshwater seepage.
What is the difference between pipi, clams and tuatua?
Pipi and Tuatua are also clams – you might see them in the shops marketed under their Maori name, but they may just be called “clams”. You might also see other rather round-shelled shellfish marketed as clams as well – these have probably been harvested with a dredge rather than hand-gathered like pipi and tuatua.
Top tips
Always make sure that you harvest pipi on the outgoing tide (ideally just before reaching low tide) because this is when the pipi are not feeding.
Pipi feed on the incoming tide and this is when their siphons are open and they are collecting a lot of sand and grit along with their planktonic food.
For information on how many pipi you are allowed to collect in your area each day visit the Ministry of Fisheries' website.