How to defrost clams and how to store them properly

It’s clam season. Today, with COVID-19 making it difficult to eat out, let’s take a closer look at clams, which can be used to make a variety of dishes at home.

■ Why is the season for clams from February to April?

It is said that this is the most delicious time because they are accumulating nutrients for spawning in the summer, and since clams mainly spawn when the seawater temperature is around 20℃, the seawater temperature is more important than the season during the spawning period.

■ Things to keep in mind when peeling clams

The method of salting clams is not much different from the one posted yesterday  , “Why salt is sprinkled when catching clams and the correct way to salt them,” so here I will only look at the points to be careful of.

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1.  It is recommended to adjust the concentration of the salt water to around 3% .

2. To ensure that the environment resembles the natural habitat of clams, cover the container containing the clams with cooking foil or black plastic to promote sunbathing.  Remember that if you sunbathe in a bright place, the clams will not open their mouths, which will hinder sunbathing .

3. The ideal water temperature for sun-drying is approximately 15°C to 20°C.  Above or below this temperature, sun-drying will not only be difficult, but the clams may not even open. Therefore, except during the hot summer months, it is better to sun-dry at room temperature rather than in the refrigerator.

4. If you use too much water and soak the clams for a long time, they may not be able to breathe and may die, so  it is best to pour water to a level where the clams are slightly submerged.

5. Many housewives seem to wonder how many hours it is good to soak clams in the water.  If you did not pick them yourself, soaking them for 1 to 2 hours is good. Remember that soaking them for longer than that can cause the clams to die while the container is covered.

■ How to store clams (freezing and refrigeration)

When storing clams, whether frozen or refrigerated, they must be thawed. Refrigeration is recommended if possible. Most clams purchased at the supermarket are already somewhat thawed, so storing them in that state is fine. However, storing them for more than three days is not recommended.

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If you store them in the refrigerator, the clams will be in a state of pseudo-death, and if this continues for too long, they will die, so it is best to avoid storing them in the refrigerator if possible .

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Even when storing clams in the freezer, they must be defrosted. After defrosting, it is recommended to remove moisture with a kitchen towel and store them in a container. In particular, it is recommended to remove the air and quickly freeze them in a flat state, avoiding overlapping as much as possible.

When cooking frozen clams, you must be careful to heat them all at once over high heat . If you let them thaw naturally or heat them slowly, the clams will not open, so when making soybean paste stew, you must put the clams in after the water has boiled.

Freezing tips

If you are freezing clams, you can defrost them, boil them, and then separate the broth and clam meat for easy use.

■ If there is an odor after peeling the clams

If clams smell after being soaked, it is easy to assume that there is something wrong with the clams you purchased, but keep in mind that the smell can also occur if the clams are killed due to the incorrect soaking method.

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If clams smell when purchased, they’re usually dead or harvested from a contaminated area. However, even if you purchase live clams, improper handling can cause them to die and develop an odor. This is most often due to the following reasons.

1. When the water temperature is not appropriate

2. When the salt concentration is not correct

3. When the amount of water is too much

4. When the sun sets in a bright place

■ Phenomenon that appears in dead clams

Dead clams have an odor and their shells do not open. Some of these do not open even when heated, but this does not necessarily mean that they are only found in dead clams.

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Clams with two shells, such as clams (bivalves), have a hinge-like connecting part and a scutellum that open and close the shell. The hinge opens the shell, and the scutellum closes the shell.

However, when heated, the strength of the spores attached to the shell weakens, allowing the clam shells to open, but dead clams do not open because the spores do not change even when heated.

Also, if the part where the shells are connected is damaged when washing the clams, the clams will not open, but in this case, there will be no odor.

Therefore, since you can only tell whether a clam is dead or alive by looking at the shell that has opened,  it is best to discard any clams that have not opened for safety reasons.

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※ Lastly, as mentioned above, I want to emphasize this once more. When cooking frozen clams, you must heat them all at once over high heat. Otherwise, if you heat them slowly or let them thaw naturally, rigor mortis will occur, damaging the sac cells and preventing the clams from opening. Remember this.