Cleaning clams is a key procedure whenever you want to serve this delicious shellfish and you are able to get them alive.
These mollusks are what are called filter feeders - they filter the water of the river, stream, sea or ocean they live in to extract their food - and as such they can accumulate quite a bit of grit and sand in them.
Even live ones from reputable establishments can still contain some grit despite all the cleaning efforts of the staff.
So it is definitely in your best interests to make sure that you get the sand and grit out of your clams before you cook and eat them! Here are some simple and easy steps for cleaning clams.
Start out by selecting the best clams that you can possibly find, even if you have to pay a little more for these.
Try to find the ones with shells that are closed or, if they are slightly open, have visible siphons (the little breathing tubes used by these mollusks).
If they are slightly open, they have to close when tapped gently.
Do not buy clams whose shells gape wide open or are broken.
Also, go by the smell - the fresher they are, the more they will smell like the sea.
Avoid buying from a batch that smells bad or is beginning to stink.
Lastly, once you have bought them, rush home with your purchases.
Don't smother them; leave them room to breathe.
Once you get home, the first step in cleaning clams is to rinse the clams out and place them in a container of fresh water.
Leave them there for around half an hour or more.
Placing them in fresh water will help them clear out whatever grit, sand and salt will be in their systems, so that they'll be nice and clean when you cook them.
After they've soaked, it's best to remove them in small batches by lifting them up through the water, so the grit that they've excreted is completely left behind.
Next, you can use a stiff brush to scrub them under running water to remove any dirt that might be stuck to the outside of their shells.
Scrub firmly and don't use any soap.
Clean them one by one, making sure that they are as clean as can be.
Lastly, set your clams down in a small basin of clear water and keep them there right until you actually cook them to make sure that they are as fresh as possible - and your dish as tasty as you can make it!
These mollusks are what are called filter feeders - they filter the water of the river, stream, sea or ocean they live in to extract their food - and as such they can accumulate quite a bit of grit and sand in them.
Even live ones from reputable establishments can still contain some grit despite all the cleaning efforts of the staff.
So it is definitely in your best interests to make sure that you get the sand and grit out of your clams before you cook and eat them! Here are some simple and easy steps for cleaning clams.
Start out by selecting the best clams that you can possibly find, even if you have to pay a little more for these.
Try to find the ones with shells that are closed or, if they are slightly open, have visible siphons (the little breathing tubes used by these mollusks).
If they are slightly open, they have to close when tapped gently.
Do not buy clams whose shells gape wide open or are broken.
Also, go by the smell - the fresher they are, the more they will smell like the sea.
Avoid buying from a batch that smells bad or is beginning to stink.
Lastly, once you have bought them, rush home with your purchases.
Don't smother them; leave them room to breathe.
Once you get home, the first step in cleaning clams is to rinse the clams out and place them in a container of fresh water.
Leave them there for around half an hour or more.
Placing them in fresh water will help them clear out whatever grit, sand and salt will be in their systems, so that they'll be nice and clean when you cook them.
After they've soaked, it's best to remove them in small batches by lifting them up through the water, so the grit that they've excreted is completely left behind.
Next, you can use a stiff brush to scrub them under running water to remove any dirt that might be stuck to the outside of their shells.
Scrub firmly and don't use any soap.
Clean them one by one, making sure that they are as clean as can be.
Lastly, set your clams down in a small basin of clear water and keep them there right until you actually cook them to make sure that they are as fresh as possible - and your dish as tasty as you can make it!