insanely salty clams

[JerzyMade]

Last weekend I bought a bag of clams at Costco. The label said they were harvested in Maine, I'm in California. Kept them under cold running water until I got everything else ready to go, maybe about 15 to 30 minutes. Steamed with wine, shallots and thyme, adding parsley at the end. Without adding any salt, they were too salty to eat. To be exact, wife and the kids didn't eat it. I paid 10 bucks, so I consumed the huge pile, with proper lubrication, of course.

Anyway, I don't want to give up on clams entirely, but I don't want to repeat this experience. Are there any steps I missed during the preparation, or is there anything to look for when buying clams?

[Kevin72]

Were they live clams? CostCos here in Dallas only sell frozen seafood

Anyways, I'd think you just had an extremely bad batch there. I've never run across a too-salty bunch of clams before (if sold live in the shell). You could put them in some fresh water for up to an hour to let them purge a little and dilute down potential salinity.

[=Mark]

It's my understanding to never put live clams in fresh water, it kills them. Never heard of salty fresh clams.

[JerzyMade]

Were they live clams?  CostCos here in Dallas only sell frozen seafood 

Yes, they were live, kept on a bed of ice. I wonder if someone had the "brilliant" idea of sprinkling the ice with salt to make it colder.

[Kevin72]

It's my understanding to never put live clams in fresh water, it kills them.  Never heard of salty fresh clams.

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I can never get that straight. Would putting them in for a relatively short time (an hour or less) still kill them?

And what about the older recipes that have you put them in fresh water with a bit of polenta or flour to purge them of grit?

[rosebud]

The folks who put out Great Eastern Mussels also sell bags of "mahogany" clams. I've tried them twice to make pasta with clam sauce and also found them to be too salty. I wonder what's up with that?

[howard88]

I am also interested in the salt conundrum.

Once in Miami, I had fresh cold little necks on the half shell at

a restaurant and they were very salty and tasted like

they were awash in sea water.

On the other hand, I have had clams straight from

the water on Long Beach Island NJ and they were

briny and sweet, and no distinctly salt taste.

So does anyone know why.

[Really Nice!]

Two things to do to help diminish the salty effect:

1. Add an acid such as lemon juice to the clams.

2. Eat the clams with a crisp, acidic white wine such as a Sancerre, Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine, or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

[budrichard]

If the clams were salty as described then there was something worng with them and for $10. I wouldn't risk my life. There are chemicals that could have contaminated the clams or maybe a preservative like they do for wet pack scallops to soak up water and lengthen shelf life. All bivalves in the US harvested in legal waters have a sticker attached with the date of harvest, place and who obtained them. This must be kept with the bivalve and exhibited on demand to the purchaser. Ask to see this from Costco. -Dick

[johnnyd]

This tag should have been contained in the package at the retail level. Is there any chance it is around the house or trash?

Clam purveyors here in Maine are EXTREMELY CAREFUL with their harvest/processing of product, but after it leaves their control, anything can happen. Add salt to fresh clams before freezing? Brining? Sounds shady to me.

[JerzyMade]

This tag should have been contained in the package at the retail level.  Is there any chance it is around the house or trash? 

Clam purveyors here in Maine are EXTREMELY CAREFUL with their harvest/processing of product, but after it leaves their control, anything can happen.  Add salt to fresh clams before freezing? Brining? Sounds shady to me.

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They did have a tag attached, but it's gone now. Maybe I'll give it another chance, and next time I'll keep the tag. If they're salty again, I'll take it back to Costco.

[Really Nice!]

Actually, by law the tag has to be held by the purveyor for a minimum time period (60 days?), and Budrichard is right in bringing up this excellent point. That's what I get for reading the original post too quickly and focusing on the steps and not the "is there anything to look for when buying clams."

A tag (or bill of lading) is a record of harvesting information attached to a container of shellfish by the harvester or processor. Basically the tag means that harvester is in compliance with license requirements (or at least is proven to be at the time the license is given).

The information includes date of harvest, where it was harvested, name of harvestor, etc. It's basically a road map to the suppliers should an outbreak occur and the authorities need to track down the suppliers to see who needs a lawyer.

See Appendix 8 of the HACCP documentation at FDA's Web site. Specifically "Sec. 123.28 Source controls."

[KatieLoeb]

Two things to do to help diminish the salty effect:

1. Add an acid such as lemon juice to the clams.

2. Eat the clams with a crisp, acidic white wine such as a Sancerre, Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine, or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

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Which is precisely why these things are served together. Sancerre and a briny oyster together are a revelation. An acidic wine served aside briny foods (think fresh shellfish, anchovies, caviar) is as refreshing as that squeze of lemon on your fresh shellfish.

[JerzyMade]

Which is precisely why these things are served together.  Sancerre and a briny oyster together are a revelation.  An acidic wine served aside briny foods (think fresh shellfish, anchovies, caviar) is as refreshing as that squeze of lemon on your fresh shellfish.

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Maybe it wasn't clear from my original post, but these little guys were not just a little saltier than average. They were pretty much inedible. Yes, I managed to flush them down with a good dose of Chardonnay.

[KatieLoeb]

Maybe it wasn't clear from my original post, but these little guys were not just a little saltier than average.  They were pretty much inedible.  Yes, I managed to flush them down with a good dose of Chardonnay.

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My comments were more general to the chemistry of food and wine pairing than specific to your salty clam crisis. That does sound horrifically nasty though.

My mom always put live shellfish in a bucket of salted water with a bit of cornmeal sprinkled over the top of the water for at least half a day or overnight . Her theory was that the little buggers would feed on the cornmeal and "cleanse" themselves a bit so it got rid of the sandy grit problem too. They are pretty low on the food chain and do have a rather rudimentary digestive system so this might be true. Then again my mom was superstitious too, so there's no telling whether there's any truth to this or whether it's simply another tale from another old wife.

[chefreit]

It's my understanding to never put live clams in fresh water, it kills them.  Never heard of salty fresh clams.

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I can never get that straight. Would putting them in for a relatively short time (an hour or less) still kill them?

And what about the older recipes that have you put them in fresh water with a bit of polenta or flour to purge them of grit?

←

I still do this, actually I add a bit of kosher salt to the water and have never had a problem. Most of my guest say it is the best clam they have ever eaten, and want to know where I purchase them.

As for the clams that don’t make it through this process, they most likely are on the turn anyway.

Harry

[Kevin72]

I still do this, actually I add a bit of kosher salt to the water and have never had a problem. Most of my guest say it is the best clam they have ever eaten, and want to know where I purchase them.

As for the clams that don’t make it through this process, they most likely are on the turn anyway.

Harry

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I don't know where my head was when I wrote that anyways. I've actually done this myself, too: put the clams in a large pot with fresh water and let them sit for a couple hours. Like you said, any that didn't make it through were probably on their way out. Haven't done it for much more than a few hours, but it's never had any ill effect.