Shucked clams should be plump, smell fresh, and feel heavy for their size. How To Make Frittata more. Avoid those with the odor of ammonia. The clam juice should be clear with no shell fragments. Geoducks, if you can find them in the market, should have short, fat, unwrinkled necks. Wrinkling indicates they have been out of the water too long and are beginning to dehydrate.
The flesh of clams can range from creamy white to gray to dark orange. Properly- handled fresh live clams will last 2 days in the refrigerator under optimum conditions. Whole clams still in the shell must be sold live. Fresh, unshucked clams should be stored in a porous bag made of burlap or other natural material in the refrigerator.
Read the Are these clams still useable? discussion from the Chowhound food community. I have some live clams in the refrigerator that I would like to freeze because I will not be able to use them in time. My question is, how will I know which are good. Can you freeze mussels? A. A good seafood paella recipe can be made by cooking fresh crab, clams. Can you eat tarpon? Freezing raw clams in their shells. this site tells how to prepare clams for freezing. I wouldn't think you could freeze clams in the shells, but apparently you can!
If you have no cloth bags, store in a bowl covered with a wet cloth in the refrigerator, not on ice. Never store them in sealed plastic or submerged in water - - they will die from lack of oxygen. Use fresh clams preferably within 2. Discard any fresh, live clams with shells that are open or those that do not close when tapped, along with any that have broken shells.
If you can jiggle the shell halves from side to side, it is a sure clue the clam is no longer living. For live soft- shell clams and geoducks, touch the siphon neck. If it moves, it is alive; if not, discard it.
You can place the clams in a pot of water as another test, and discard any that float. How to Freeze Clams. Do not freeze clams in their shells. To freeze clams, shuck them, being careful to save their liquid. Rinse with salt water (1 tablespoon of salt to 1 quart of water), and place in a container with the reserved clam liquid and additional salt water so they are completely covered. Frozen clams will last up to 3 months at 0 degrees F.
Thaw frozen clams in the refrigerator before using and never refreeze them. Cooked clams can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Freezing is not recommended for cooked clams as they will become extremely tough and rubbery. More About Clams and Clam Recipes.
How should clams be stored? Food Storage & Health. Live clams are highly perishable and highly susceptible to bacterial contamination once they die or get too warm, so they must be kept alive until ready to be cooked and eaten. Store live clams in a cold (3.
Fahrenheit) refrigerator in an open container, covered with a moist cloth or paper towels. Kept in this manner, live clams should remain fresh for two to three days. Do not put live clams in an airtight container or submerge them in fresh water; either will kill them. Check daily for any open shells - - a sign the clam has died - - and remove these clams promptly so they do not contaminate the rest.
Live clams can also be frozen in the shell and kept up to three months. To do so, place the live clams in moisture vapor- resistant bags, press out excess air, and freeze. If shucked, clams should look plump, be submerged in their own clear liquor, and smell fresh with absolutely no fishy or ammonia odor. Shucked clams are also available canned or already frozen. Shucked clams should be stored in a tightly sealed container immersed in their own liquor.
Kept in the refrigerator, they will remain fresh for up to three days. Shucked clams can also be frozen.
Clean and wash the meat thoroughly, then drain and pack in freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Use within three months. When ready, thaw frozen clams in the refrigerator for six hours.