Razor clams can be a little tricky to find, but they’re a delicious ingredient when you can – their meat is tasty and tender, not to mention wonderfully moreish. If you’ve got a lot of razor clams to hand, you may be considering freezing them. But is this doable?
Can You Freeze Razor Clams?
Yes, you can freeze razor clams for up to 3 months. The best way to do this is to pack them into a freezer bag, squeeze out as much excess air as possible, seal the bag, and place them in the freezer.
Do Do Razor Clams freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Razor Clams? No
How to Freeze Razor Clams
The first step to freezing razor clams is ensuring they’re as clean as possible. To ensure they’re safe for eating, you must clean them as much as possible.
Any dirt on them before freezing will inevitably make its way into your freezer, which is certainly something you don’t want.
- Dry: When the razor clams are clean, dry them lightly with a tea towel. They don’t have to be bone dry, but allowing them not to be sat in a puddle of water is better for their long-term texture and flavour preservation.
- Bag Up: Transfer the razor clams into a freezer bag, and pack them in as much as possible. We recommend this because any air present between pieces of food will, over time, condense into water and eventually into ice in the freezer.
- Remove Air and Seal: Press as much air out of the bag full of clams as possible, then seal it. We recommend this for the same reason we mentioned above – ensuring that your bag has as little air as possible, as it will greatly slow freezer burn.
- Freeze: Once the bag is sealed, transfer it to your freezer, and place it there. The clams will freeze well, with freezer burn not affecting their texture or flavour until at least three months have passed.
Yes, you can freeze cooked razor clams, but they must be frozen as soon as possible. You will also find that they become rubbery once thawed and reheated.
3 Tips for Freezing Razor Clams
Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing razor clams to have the best results:
Seal the Bag Tightly
Razor clams, like all fish and seafood products, tend to smell somewhat fishy over time. The razor clams will likely get that smell over time. This is why ensuring the bag is sealed tightly is vital if you don’t want the rest of your freezer to smell fishy.
Clean Thoroughly
Before you place the clams into the bag, clean them intensely. A sea is dirty, with sand, silt, and salt crystals everywhere on fish. To be sure that you’re keeping yourself and your family as safe as possible, rinse the clams thoroughly before freezing them, and physically remove sand and other debris.
Only Freeze Perfect Clams
Clams that are broken, damaged, or bruised tend to be a little lower in quality than others – some level of degradation has already set in. To safeguard against that affecting your other clams, do not freeze damaged clams with pristine ones.
How Long Can You Freeze Razor Clams?
You can freeze razor clams for up to 3 months.
Beyond that time, freezer burn is liable to set in and affect the flavour and texture of the clams you’re working with. To be sure that you avoid that happening, only freeze clams for up to three months.
Razor clams can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days before they turn bad. Cooked razor clams will only last for a few days.
How Do You Defrost Razor Clams?
The best way to defrost razor clams, as with most meat and seafood, is to keep them in the fridge overnight before you intend to cook them. This will allow them to thaw throughout the clam while not spoiling by being kept at room temperature.
Can You Refreeze Razor Clams?
While you technically can refreeze razor clams, we would certainly advise against it.
The reason is that any meat or seafood (especially shellfish), once defrosted, ought to be cooked and eaten or thrown away.
Otherwise, the chance of bacterial growth and contamination is too high, leading to an increased risk for you, your family, and anyone you feed getting sick.
Do Razor Clams Freeze Well?
Yes, razor clams do freeze well.
This is because they’re pretty protein-dense, so freezer burn rarely affects them in a meaningful way. Instead, the clams retain much texture and flavour before and after being frozen.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing razor clams or clams in general, then these may help:
Yes, razor clams can be frozen in the shell. This is the best way to freeze them and keep them protected in the freezer.
The best way to store razor clams is in the fridge, using them within a day or two when they’re at their freshest. Freezing them is fine, but you will notice a bit of textural change when eat them.
