When you rinse them in cold water, they should close. Take the clams out by hand. Scrub the clams with a brush to get rid of any barnacles or residual sand, and rinse with cold water. They should be added at the last minute and only heated through, otherwise they go from sweet and tender to rubbery. Farm-raised clams are usually cleaned and flushed of sand before they’re sold, so cleaning them isn’t as much of a concern. To soak the clams in saltwater, mix 1/3-cup salt (100 grams) with 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of water. Then you have to wash them with cold water; you will see the sand will build up at the bottom of the container where you left them. wikiHow's. Keep in mind the clams are alive. Thank you. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. This process should be repeated 1-2 more times. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/bd\/Clean-Clams-Step-3-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clean-Clams-Step-3-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/bd\/Clean-Clams-Step-3-Version-3.jpg\/aid1357876-v4-728px-Clean-Clams-Step-3-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":259,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"410","licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/1e\/Clean-Clams-Step-4-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clean-Clams-Step-4-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/1e\/Clean-Clams-Step-4-Version-3.jpg\/aid1357876-v4-728px-Clean-Clams-Step-4-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":259,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"410","licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/fb\/Clean-Clams-Step-5-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clean-Clams-Step-5-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/fb\/Clean-Clams-Step-5-Version-3.jpg\/aid1357876-v4-728px-Clean-Clams-Step-5-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":259,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"410","licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}. Add in a few tablespoons of flour. To learn how to soak clams in salt water, read on! This will be the base of your chowder. I put them in a colander with a wet washcloth over the top. Most people won't think twice about serving basic cornbread when is on the table. The wikiHow Culinary Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. Learn more... Clams can be a healthy and enjoyable part of a meal. It they don't close, it means they are dead and must be disposed of. Tap any clams that have open shells. CHOOSING CLAMS 1. Set the pot next to the sink. The first step is to clean your clams. Do I store them in water? Is there an efficient way to clean a large number of clams? Once you’ve removed the meat, slice off the tip of the neck, then cut a slit from the foot up to the neck. You should always cook clams immediately after you clean them to avoid any potential health risks. One of the most common ways to remove sand from clams is to sprinkle them with coarse salt and put them in cold water or dip them in salt water for a few hours, or at least 30 minutes if you don't have much time. I’ve kept them alive for a week with minimum losses. Get rid of any sand or grit by soaking your clams in water for about an hour before you're ready to cook them. If you have too many clams to put them all into the colander or steamer basket, then you can split them into batches for cleaning. To remove the sand before cooking, cover the clams with a saltwater solution of 1/3 cup salt to 1 gallon of water. Soak the clams for 30 minutes. However, if you are cleaning their shells, you have to scrub each one individually. You can put multiple clams in a bucket of water to do this.