can you safely freeze clams in the shell?

i tried looking it up, but keep getting mixed reviews...i think it is because of the types of clams all over the US..anyway...i would love to hear the real answer if anyone can help?? thanks...c

If they were cooked, I don't see why not. People freeze crabs and shrimp in the shell. I would think you might have problems with freezer burn, so try to use them within a few months maybe?

Hey Aunty how about posting how you steam your clams? I took the kids over to the canal yesterday and dug limits that are spitting in a bucket right now. We plan on eating them tonight. I've used different recipes for my broth but haven't found anything I've loved.

Cheryl you can vac pac them and freeze them uncooked no problem. I think Ryley clued me in on that last year. I did mine 6 months later and they tasted fine.

Hey man I got a great clam broth recipe or two if ya want em' maybe I will just call ya.-T

They are frozen, bagged, and sold in grocery stores everywhere.

I just use 1-2 cups of water and about the same in white wine. I bring that to a boil and set a copper colander over the pot and dump in the clams and put a lid on. Once they all open, I take the colander out and set it on a pie plate and serve them up with tongs. I have small bowls of warm lemon garlic butter for those that want to dip or lemon wedges for the low fat crowd.

Blanched and frozen in chicken broth, then vac-packed to enjoy later.

Yep. I clean mine 1st. I also add some water in with em to help protect them from burn.

I do the same as Aunty, but I toss in some celery and onion, that stuff drinks up REAL good!

thanks guys...we were going to take some friends clamming today, but looks like we may not...i have a bunch of clams from yesterday, and the day before, my mom took some home to eat, but i was thinking i might just freeze some...ive kinda been digging a limit at lunch time every other day, oysters on the others, kinda oystered out, but i love the clams..i think my husband is clammed out...wanted to save some for the summer...i was worried but pretty sure that it was just fine...wanted to get a few more before the area closes to save for later...i think i have a clam adiction...hahaha...c

Make smoked clams or oysters out of them after you save a bunch up.
Pretty easy to do.And delicious.

oh yeah...ive just been steaming em with a little bit of lemon pepper and emerils essence and garlic...i think they are yummie...i never really clammed before so its all new...wish i knew there were so many before...my parents never took me fishing or digging so i have to learn on my own...hahaha...not doing too bad...hahaha...ill have to try some other ways...c

Thanks for the recipes. My boy and I will be happy eaters tonight.

my favorite recipe is as follows:

1/2 stick butter
3/4 cup beer or white wine.
1/2 onion minced
1-2 tablespoons chopped garlic
juice of a lemon
optional: red and green bell peppers, about 1/2 pepper minced
teaspoon pepper

Add it all up in a saucepan and sautee on med-high until they open.
dump the whole mess in a big bowl and enjoy. I like to eat the clams with lemon and tabasco with a slice or two of onion and bell pepper on each bite.



Paging Tom Carrol, we need to make a trip.

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Paging Tom Carrol, we need to make a trip.


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Yeah I know what you mean Skyguy. 120 clams is way shy of a cooler full!!!!!!!!
Get Tommy to take you to Chucks! I will say the place I went yesterday (public) was about as easy as Chuck's place with just a few less oysters. Limits were a bit different though.

Steamer clams can be kept alive in a bowl covered with a damp towel in the refridgerator for about two days, in fact more. If you bring some seawater home in a large plastic bucket, and can place it in a refer, and have access to an air compressor, you can place the clams in the bucket and bubble some air into the bottom of it, you can (lively them up) for a few hours at which point you could resume the process. Try not to shock the clams by putting them into water too much colder than the the clams are when you immerce them in it. I have kept both clams and oysters for over a week this way.

You can freeze steamers whole in a plastic bag without water after they spit. They will keep for a couple of months no problem, but not in a frost-free freezer -use a regular deep-cold freezer. Done right, they steam up just like the fresh ones. Just take a little longer.

Now, steaming clams is an art that many don't seem to get. Many people boil them in too much water, and\or drown them in wine. Best way IMO is a 1/4 inch of water with a few onions, a little celery, and a little garlic. Let the clams steam on high heat until the foam covers them all. Lower the heat but keep the foam over all of them while they cook. Once the majority fall from the shell they are done. Do not over-cook.

Have the garlic butter ready with a shot of worsheshire in it and a little parsley flake. The hot-sauce and ketchup nonsense people seem to push on this meal has no place here IMO. Clams dipped in garlic butter or their own nectar is the way to go. Drinking a cup of nectar with steamed clams is mandatory, and if you don't do that, you are a puss IMO.


Better yet is an traditional clam bake on the beach. I have only done it a couple of times, but this is the way to go if you can find the clams, time, and beach to do it on. Truly an art that is becoming lost in the traditional NW way. I'd sure like to do this a few times with some of the older folks who know what they doing. With 40 clam limits, you can hardly pull it off. But what a way to send a nice summer evening.

Additional recipes on this clam bake method would be appreciated...

mmmmm...sounds yummy...i never thought about tasting the nectar from the clams...i did freeze the clams to try it out...i used the foodsaver to get most of the air out and threw im in the deep freeze...i will have to try em out when we get back from vacation...we got to eat some of them tonight, my husbands parents stopped by when i was cleaning them so i cooked prob at least 50 of em...mmmmm....he ate most of em...hahahah...c

oh yeah...im going to have to save some of those recipies...thanks guys....c

I prefer my clams fresh,personally. Ive had a few bad ones over the years.

I realize this discussion is about Littlenecks and Manilas for steaming, but if you are getting some two to three inch Butter clams during your digging, one of my favorite ways to cook them is to split them in half with a knife and coat the clam half with a dusting of seasoned flour, then cook the half shelf clams in a frying pan just enough to brown the flour coating.
Place the clam with the flour coated side down.

You can also cook them in a deep fat fryer. It actually works better since the hot oil cooks from both sides , they are quite tender.

Do not overcook them as they will get tough if you do so.

I have frozen clams that I have sliced in half and they have always been fine a month or two later.

Steamers never last that long around our house. If we don't finish them off the day we cook them, the cooked clams get plucked from the shell and go into a salad or pasta dish the next day.