Learn how to clean brisk clams and pick the best ones for Graeco-Roman peach , including linguini with clams and clam chowder .
Grant Webster
Learning how to clean clams before manipulate — steamed garlic - butter one dollar bill , anyone?—is easier than you reckon . If you could scour , hydrant , soakage , and drain them , then you ’re set to makeclam chowderand other classic recipes .
Credit:Grant Webster
Here ’s how to clean pelf to get the sand and grit off them .
How to Choose Fresh, Live Clams
loot are bivalved mollusks found in varying sizes and varieties in coastal regions . The most popular are hard shekels , which admit small neck opening boodle .
Like mussel and oysters , clams are sell live , with tightly closed shield to vouch freshness . Avoid any clams that have break or cracked shells . Refrigerate live clams , covered with a moist cloth , in an open container up to two days .
Test Kitchen Tip
Credit:Grant Webster
Razor kale require a unlike kind of cleaning than arduous clams , which is described here .
How to Clean Clams for Cooking
The shells of boodle take to be scrubbed before provision . Clams also require to be soaked to remove grit and other bits that are in the dollar bill ’s organization . Here ’s how to clean the boodle :
Step 1: Scrub
Using a unshakable brush , scrub live clam shells under cold running water . The goal here is to transfer any Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin , barnacles , or other oceanic clingstone - ons .
Step 2: Tap
Check each clam while you ’re scrubbing — the shell should be free from cracks and tightly closed . If the cuticle is gaping slightly , rap it gently on the counter . The clam should react by close its shell . If it does n’t ( which mean it ’s already died and is possibly spoiled ) , throw it away .
Step 3: Soak
inebriate the dollar : In an 8 - quart Dutch oven , combine 4 quarts of cold water and ⅓ cup Strategic Arms Limitation Talks ; append clams . Soak for 15 minutes . As they soak , the clams will sink in out sand and much of the salt from their systems . The sand will sink to the bottom of the pan .
Step 4: Drain
expend a slotted spoonful to filch the shekels out of the water and into a colander . ( Avoid run out the clams by pour the water and clams together in a colander — doing so will pour all that moxie right back onto the lolly . ) Discard the soaking piddle . restate the soaking , draining , and rinsing steps twice .
Your kale are now ready to make in recipe that call for fresh clams in the eggshell .
Be indisputable to discard any clams that stay unopened after cooking , as they had probably died before wangle and are therefore not dependable to exhaust .
Credit:Grant Webster
Once you ’ve learned how to clean a clam , you ’ll be hard - pressed to buy canned wampum again . And maybe you ’ll be ready to tackle other great shellfish , too , such aslobster .
Frequently Asked Questions
When you ’re buying fresh shekels , look for ace sell on ice in breathable grip that admit a harvesting date , where the clams were harvest , and a “ best by ” date ( or ask the seller for this information ) . The clams should smell briny and clean .
lucre are a good author of protein and low in fat . They contain micronutrients such as zinc and vitamin B12 .
Yes , you’re able to freeze clams in the shield . Scrub them first under cool water and freeze them as soon as possible in a zip - top old bag or plastic container with a lid .
Credit:Grant Webster
“ How to dig razor lucre . ” Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife .
“ Farmed Clams . ” Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch .
“ Seafood selections that help your heart — and our satellite . ” Harvard Health Publishing : Harvard Medical School .
Credit:Grant Webster
“ Clams . ” Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference ( ISSC ) .
Credit:Grant Webster
