CLEANING CLAMS
Preparing shellfish can be scary for some people. It is expensive in most areas and you want to make sure that you are preparing it properly to get the best flavor. Preparing clams is quite simple.
When you purchase clams, make sure that they are “live”. To do this, select clams that are all tightly closed. If it appears that the clam is even slightly opened, leave it.
Once you get home, rinse the clams under cold running water, scrubbing the shells with a kitchen scrubber. Remove any loose debris or sand.
Place the clams in a large pot (8qt or so), and for every 24 clams add 4 cups of cold water and 1/3 cup salt. Stir well once to mix the salt, clams, and water then let sit for about 15 or 20 minutes. Dump the water and rinse the clams. Complete this process a total of 3 times.
This cleaning process will help clean any unwanted sand and debris from inside the shells. Now your clams are ready for use in any recipe.
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Posted by Teresa Worth on April 29, 2009
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what if they are bought fresh & not from the grocery store & the clams are slighty open with a piece of muscle poking out?
we have also burped the clams with corn meal, putting the clams in a cooler with corn meal they eat the corn meal and spit it back out along with the sand, this has worked for us although the salt method seams easier and we will try it on the clam bake we have planned for this weekend
Purchased clams from Costco today,12/7. The tag reads sell by 12/13. Also bought previously frozen shrimp. Am I safe to make these for dinner 12/9 or 12/10? Thank you for your response.
As long as they are refrigerated properly you should not have any issues. Double check the clams and discard any that are open, even just a smidge as this could indicate that they have died.
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