# purging clams, lets stop the madness



## rat

Got into a heated discussion with my chef about purging clams and thought I would post my thoughts and look for yours.

Here the chef purges the clams overnight in water and cornmeal, the clams rapidly die and we have to use them quickly.

Me, as a hobby have had saltwater reef aquariums for years and know a little about keeping marine life alive in captivity.

I suggested to him that the FRESH water would kill the clams immediately, otherwise we would have cod in the delaware river and marlin in mountain lakes. I have seen people online adding salt to the purge water but in ratios too low to match the natural salinity of saltwater which is @ *1*.021 and 1.025 on a refractometer/hygrometer. The generally accepted ratio for salt mixes for aquariums is @ 1/2 cup per gallon of water to get in that general range though if you really want to get technical that ratio would need to be tweaked to match the natural specific gravity of where the shellfish came from. Also kitchen salt and kosher salt has been made from evaporated sea water and many of the compounds found in evaporated salt do not readily dissolve back into water (mainly the carbonates, though I dont think them neceassary to maintain life only sustained growth). That is a reason you cannot use rock salt or natural salt in water being used in a saltwater aquarium.

Do you think having a correct saltwater solution would keep the clams alive longer? and at the same time be more effective in purging clams? I am not suggesting everyone have a saltwater aquarium in their walk in, but at least I think it would help the clams survive longer in a kitchen.

Also, why cornmeal?? Yes while clams and bivalves are filter feeders they generally feel on much smaller particulate matter such as phytoplankton which usually are in the micron range. Has anyone ever eaten a clam with cornmeal in its gut?? I do think it is entirely possible but was just wondering. Also the cornmeal would have to be freely circulating in the water to be effective, so some sort of circulation pump comes to mind. A clam in the top of the bucket wont get any cornmeal that is settled in the bottom.

Also again, if the clams do actually eat the cornmeal, it gives me the idea of flavoring the cornmeal. KInd of like stuffing a turkey.

on a side note I have a clam from a raw bar buffet in my tank now which is about 4 inches across, came in as a littleneck. I find it time to time when I am doing maintenance. It came in as a littleneck two years ago.

So,,, what do you think besides that I have too much time on my hands??


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## flipflopgirl

Having lived either on or very near the Gulf of Mexico my entire life I know very little about clams and even less when it comes to cleaning or cooking them.

Do like to eat them, tho!

I do know about shrimp.

Your salt water purging makes perfect sense (when freezing a big haul of shrimps we use saltwater in the container).

We don't need an instrument to calculate the proper water to salt ratio... my Gpa Van told me to mix enough in until when you close your eyes it tastes just like the water we pulled them from.

As you can tell I also have way too much time on my hands...

mimi


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## berndy

I was told years ago that the purging of clams was really not necessary since all the clams sold in the US are pre-purged before reaching the consumer.


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## chefbuba

I got 5lbs of clams yesterday for dinner, I rinsed them in a bowl, no sand. No sand in the pot either and very clean meat.I believe that the harvester purges them before selling. I assume that the process is only rinse well and allow to sit for a day or so in a clean tank before bagging & tagging.





  








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chefbuba


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Oct 26, 2012


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## fryguy

I have always soaked them in fresh water with a table spoon of baking soda for about 2 hours. The clams don't like the baking soda and purge that along with any gritty sand they may have . Then rinse and hold in the ice bin. NEVER leave in any kind of water over night = dead clams. Of course this could be somthing I Picked up on young and have just stuck with it......could just be an old wives tale.....anyone else use this method or am I somking a little to much houch...LOL


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## berndy

It is my understanding that the harvesters purge the clams at the same location of harvest in the same seawater they were grown in. I wish I could tell you more about how they actually do it.

Does anyone know ?


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## rat

I would imagine they soak them in the same seawater they harvest them from.


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## smork

http://www.stripersonline.com/t/576459/purging-sand-from-softshell-steamer-clams

this seems to have alot of methods but not to much understanding of whats actually ocuring to make the clams purge. seems cornmeal and seawater are pretty widely used.


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## crosi

I think it's better if you put clams on perforated pan over hotel pan then immerse in salt water.  That way sands will fall to the bottom and clams won't eat them again.

In Japan, many people say keep the clams in 3% salt water to purge. They say the water is too salty so they spit out the sands.

I haven't tried this method yet but a few months ago I watched "50 celsius (122F) wash" method on a Japanese TV program. You prepare 48~52 celsius (118~125F) water then soak the clams for 2~3 minutes. The water temp cannot be lower than 43C/109F.  Clams are shocked so they open their mouth to purge. You can use the clams immediately or you leave them at room temp, they will close.  You can put them back to salt water(cannot be too cold) to keep them alive again. 

At Tsukiji fish market, I've seen clams in salt water (not sure if it's sea water or salt water) with the aquarium pump.  At supermarkets, I've seen manilla calms were sold in the package; salt water inside, sealed completely with plastic.

When I visited a fish purveyor in FL a while back, I asked them if it's better to keep the clams in salt water.  They never heard of it. For my knowledge, it is a common method in Japan or in France.


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## piropo

In Italy the small clams for Spaghetti Vongole are sold by the kilogram in tight net bags that don't allow the clams to open and loose their water. These clams are almost always with some sand inside. I have seen the men who sell the clams bouncing each clam, one after another, off a nylon cutting board, looking for the rogue dead clam who's shell will open full of sand or mud.

Rinse any sand from the clams in a colander with fresh water. Place the clams in a shallow container overnight, allowing plenty of room for the clams to open a little. The clams should not be piled on each other. They should be just covered with salted water made by adding 35 grams of table salt for each liter of water or 130 grams per gallon of water. The clams normally live buried in the sand. They don't like sand in their shell and will purge themselves of any sand after about 8 to 12 hours.   Buon Appetito.


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## chezj023

My first thought is that overnight is simply too long to purge them. 

Not that I have cooked all that many clams, but followed procedures mentioned above, wash well, proper storage, etcetera... and never had an issue.


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## chefbuba

Crosi said:


> I think it's better if you put clams on perforated pan over hotel pan then immerse in salt water. That way sands will fall to the bottom and clams won't eat them again.
> 
> In Japan, many people say keep the clams in 3% salt water to purge. They say the water is too salty so they spit out the sands.
> 
> I haven't tried this method yet but a few months ago I watched "50 celsius (122F) wash" method on a Japanese TV program. You prepare 48~52 celsius (118~125F) water then soak the clams for 2~3 minutes. The water temp cannot be lower than 43C/109F. Clams are shocked so they open their mouth to purge. You can use the clams immediately or you leave them at room temp, they will close. You can put them back to salt water(cannot be too cold) to keep them alive again.
> 
> At Tsukiji fish market, I've seen clams in salt water (not sure if it's sea water or salt water) with the aquarium pump. At supermarkets, I've seen manilla calms were sold in the package; salt water inside, sealed completely with plastic.
> 
> When I visited a fish purveyor in FL a while back, I asked them if it's better to keep the clams in salt water. They never heard of it. For my knowledge, it is a common method in Japan or in France.


Willipa Bay clams & oysters in the live tank from my local fish market tonight.





  








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## michaelga

What was written on that guys hand?  That is what I want to know.

"Keep your hands out?"


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## chefbuba

It's a plastic hand!


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## nw beach comber

I grew up on Pacific NW Beaches and have eaten literally thousands of clams and oysters that I have harvested myself.

On the issue of purging there is a few things to consider.

1. If the manilla clams were harvested in mud flats (not sand) they just need a good scrub under cold water before you drop them in the cook pot.

2. If the clams are harvested in a sandy area, it is nice to soak them in clean seawater, hopefully this will flush out any sand they may have inside them. I do this for a few hours. Sometimes you just get a sandy clam.

3. I would definitely not leave them overnight, they will filter all the oxygen out of the water and drown. You can keep them longer by changing out the water. I put them in a cool place in the shade in the winter months, or in the fridge in the warm months.

Fresh water is not their friend. I've heard of the cornmeal trick, but don't think it will work.


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## rcwhipp61

I prefer Manilla Clams, as a professional chef, I always purge the clam 3 time changing the water every 30 minutes then in a perforated pan with bags of ice, they last 5 to 7 days this way. I had some little neck clams to day that were very sandy, after purging the ways the were very clean (no sand)


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## capecodchef

I'm fortunate to live in an area of the world that has, in my humble opinion, some of the finest hard shell clams available anywhere. Whether it's a littleneck, cherrystone, or quahog, I've never purged a hard shell clam and rarely do I get a "sandy". That's true with those that are freshly dug by my own clam rake as well. Now steamers, or soft-shelled clams. That's a different story. The best fish mongers keep theirs in a lobster tank and they come to market very clean.


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## someday

I agree, most clams you buy will be pretty clean. You may get the OCCASIONAL sandy clam, but in my experience it is rare. And yes, if your chefs insists on purging then overnight is WAY too long. It should take an hour or two tops. 

Sometimes, the best answer is "Yes chef" even when you know you are right, lol.

"Hey, let's intentionally murder all these beautiful clams by keeping them in tap water overnight." 

"Yes chef!"


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## rcwhipp61

You're the lucky one, last night I had a clam dish come back that tasted like I was eating the beach, one of my cooks forget to purge to clams. 3 times changing the water every 30 minutes, then in a perforated pan with ice.


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## capecodchef

rcwhipp61 said:


> You're the lucky one, last night I had a clam dish come back that tasted like I was eating the beach, one of my cooks forget to purge to clams. 3 times changing the water every 30 minutes, then in a perforated pan with ice.


Well then, I've been lucky for 50+ years and literally 1000s of clams. At the beach, sometime we just sit in the tidal pools and reach down into the sand and pluck them out as we sit, going to town with the shucking knife. No purging there for sure.


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## linecook854

rat said:


> Got into a heated discussion with my chef about purging clams and thought I would post my thoughts and look for yours.
> 
> Here the chef purges the clams overnight in water and cornmeal, the clams rapidly die and we have to use them quickly.
> 
> Me, as a hobby have had saltwater reef aquariums for years and know a little about keeping marine life alive in captivity.
> 
> I suggested to him that the FRESH water would kill the clams immediately, otherwise we would have cod in the delaware river and marlin in mountain lakes. I have seen people online adding salt to the purge water but in ratios too low to match the natural salinity of saltwater which is @ *1*.021 and 1.025 on a refractometer/hygrometer. The generally accepted ratio for salt mixes for aquariums is @ 1/2 cup per gallon of water to get in that general range though if you really want to get technical that ratio would need to be tweaked to match the natural specific gravity of where the shellfish came from. Also kitchen salt and kosher salt has been made from evaporated sea water and many of the compounds found in evaporated salt do not readily dissolve back into water (mainly the carbonates, though I dont think them neceassary to maintain life only sustained growth). That is a reason you cannot use rock salt or natural salt in water being used in a saltwater aquarium.
> 
> Do you think having a correct saltwater solution would keep the clams alive longer? and at the same time be more effective in purging clams? I am not suggesting everyone have a saltwater aquarium in their walk in, but at least I think it would help the clams survive longer in a kitchen.
> 
> Also, why cornmeal?? Yes while clams and bivalves are filter feeders they generally feel on much smaller particulate matter such as phytoplankton which usually are in the micron range. Has anyone ever eaten a clam with cornmeal in its gut?? I do think it is entirely possible but was just wondering. Also the cornmeal would have to be freely circulating in the water to be effective, so some sort of circulation pump comes to mind. A clam in the top of the bucket wont get any cornmeal that is settled in the bottom.
> 
> Also again, if the clams do actually eat the cornmeal, it gives me the idea of flavoring the cornmeal. KInd of like stuffing a turkey.
> 
> on a side note I have a clam from a raw bar buffet in my tank now which is about 4 inches across, came in as a littleneck. I find it time to time when I am doing maintenance. It came in as a littleneck two years ago.
> 
> So,,, what do you think besides that I have too much time on my hands??


This is something I've thought of myself as like you I've maintained marine aquariums (soft corals mostly) and am also a chef. I worked with a very stupid line cook who repeatedly killed bags of mussels and oysters by "purging" them. He would fill a shallow lexan with water and kosher salt and let them sit for hours. A few would open up and die after the soaking, by day 2 in the walk in they were all dead. This happened literally dozens of times before the head chef took notice. I would tell the cook that I know a thing or two about keeping shellfish alive and kosher salt isn't the salt they need to survive especially not at the correct specific gravity. He would never listen and of course bag after bag of shellfish would be thrown out /img/vbsmilies/smilies/frown.gif.

As for your question about keeping shellfish alive longer there's quite a bit that goes into it. Firstly as you know yourself seawater alone won't keep them alive, other a lot of other factors like oxygen and temperature come into play. A lobster tank that supermarkets use come to mind as do the lobster pound pools if you've ever been to New England you'll know what I'm talking about. Also many Chinese restaurants maintain aquariums or lobster pools for live shellfish and even fish for consumption. As far as simply keeping them in a bucket or something in the walk-in I don't really know if this would help them stay alive longer. I don't think a stagnant bucket of water would help, in fact it probably would be worse as the contaminants build up like ammonia etc pretty shortly. As long as we're not keeping shellfish around longer than a couple days I don't think we should worry all that much about trying to keep them alive longer.


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## mchavez

When harvesting aquatic snails, purging with cornmeal worked they ate the cornmeal and pooped sand and mud. I don't do that often but it worked on moon snails many years ago. For clams the above discussion agrees with my experience as a cook and saltwater fish hobbyist. Keep them alive in as close to natural conditions as possible after a good scrub of the shell...then cook and eat!


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## recoilrob

New guy here. I live in NY but close to the CT shore of LI Sound. I am an avid fisherman and shellfisherman. I found this forum while searching for info on purging. I have been harvesting my own clams for almost 40 years now and that requires purging, especially softshells, not to much hardshells and oysters. I usually bring a 5 gal pail and fill it from the deeper area's on my way back to the dock .Softshells are rinsed several times in a mesh bag to get as much grit off as possible,  I powerwash the muck off hardshells and oysters and then let them all sit in a cooler overnight covered with the 5 gals I bring back, along with some ice packs.

I have alway's thrown in the cornmeal. However last week I forgot and I could find no difference. I only used a tablespoon or so but I think once they are in clean water they will begin to feed again and since there's no sand there anything inside will work it's way out. I purge for 12 hours, no longer since the water is not aerated.


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## acemcfly

I'm looking to go Harvest some Little necks next week and would like to get cooler full but may not use all of them until a cookout 5 days later. My question is basically... If I was to put an aerating pump in the cooler filled with salt water from the ocean... will the clams last longer then a day or so if I change the water every other day?


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## summer57

> Do you think having a correct saltwater solution would keep the clams alive longer? and at the same time be more effective in purging clams? I am not suggesting everyone have a saltwater aquarium in their walk in, but at least I think it would help the clams survive longer in a kitchen.


As another person who keeps a reef tank, you might be able to keep them for 5 days if you go to an aquarium store and get an air pump, circulation pump/filter and reef salt, which you mix with bottled water. I wouldn't use ocean water. And after the 5 days, you'll know you have clean/purged clams. You don't need to feed them.


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## recoilrob

AceMcFly said:


> I'm looking to go Harvest some Little necks next week and would like to get cooler full but may not use all of them until a cookout 5 days later. My question is basically... If I was to put an aerating pump in the cooler filled with salt water from the ocean... will the clams last longer then a day or so if I change the water every other day?


I have kept freshly harvested hardshells alive for up to 7 days in the fridge. Put them in a wash tub and cover with a wet towel. The towel will dry out in the fridge so re-wet every other day. Really, up to 7 days.


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## rcwhipp61

As a professional chef, I always purge my clams.

The method, Place clams in a bowl fill with cold water and let sit 1/2 hour, remove clams to another bowl and fill with cold water, do this one more times and the clams are not gritty or sandy at all.

This is how I was trained and I've been doing this way for almost 40 years. I mostly use Manilla Clams but does work for others


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## someday

You literally said the same thing 3 times in this thread lol. 

I've been maintaining my amateur chef status so I can compete in the culinary olympics next year.


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## rcwhipp61

Must be a long thread LOL


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## someday

rcwhipp61 said:


> Must be a long thread LOL


Haha. No worries, I just thought it was funny. It's good advice so I guess it bears repetition.


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## clammer21

I have been walking the marsh for years. Used to hunt steamers but lately have been going for quahogs. Here's what works for me.

I don't dig. I walk. I used scuba booties (very soft sole but will protect your feet). A two hour walk in the marsh is remarkably peaceful. And I usually get 40-60 clams. Win-win...

I fill a bucket with the same water I pulled them from. They purge marvelously in 24 hours. I change the water once a day with beach surf water (basically replenishes the oxygen). btw - I don't ice them either. Water is ~68F. Never had a problem. 

Now, the good stuff. Try this one. 

1/2 stick of butter, dice a small yellow onion, smash a clove of garlic, add a tablespoon of tarragon and, after the onion softens, a cup of white wine. Let’em fight it out. Then add 3 cups of water and a bunch of quahogs to a pot and turn up the heat. While that magic is happening, cut a baguette in half (the long way), spray it with oil and grill it. Tarragon is key. Serve with open clams, a ramekin of the pot juice, and thin slices of grilled baguette. Unbelievable meal...

Next one (just did this). Clams casino. The twist? Put ~40 quahogs on the grill. Make your favorite casino mix (I used lots of celery, carrots, garlic, bacon, and bread crumbs). The clams will open in 10-15 minutes. Layer the dish with whole clams and spread the topping on top. Sprinkle it with shredded parm and bake it until the top browns. Serve with crackers. 

Either one will make you a rock star...

Enjoy
mcl
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## clammer21

sorry, me again. A few additions...

I get the quahogs by simply stepping on them. Feels like a golf ball. Funny how quickly you can discern a quahog from an empty shell/rock/piece of wood/piece of glass!

re: the clams casino, you need to cook the bacon and saute the veggies and then add the bread crumbs. I also add clam juice from the grilled quahogs (careful not to spill when you pick them off the grill, it can get messy).

Try it. You know it makes sense...


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