BajaNomad

Clams?

Lindalou - 3-21-2006 at 05:08 PM

I have a bunch of fresh clams in a bucket of salt water right off the shores of Santispac. I was told to purge them for a couple of days by changing the water several times. Then someone else said they would not last that long. Which one is right? Do I purge them till Thur. or eat them tomorrow?:?:

Paula - 3-21-2006 at 05:20 PM

I have kept them for 30 hours or so, in sea water. I think they would have been good for one night more.

They were excelent cooked the following day, so I think you should only wait if you want to.

Have a nice dinner!!

woody with a view - 3-21-2006 at 05:32 PM

warm waters will probably be different but, last week we dug pismo clams on the pacific and left them in salt water for 36 hours, changing water every twelve. OH MAN, were they good!!!:cool:

David K - 3-21-2006 at 05:58 PM

Disgard any clams that stay open after you touch or move them/ change water... they are dead... Only eat the ones that close tightly until cooked.

Lindalou - 3-21-2006 at 06:02 PM

Thank you everyone. I will probably still eat them Thur. as we are going to a big pig roast tomorrow!

vandenberg - 3-21-2006 at 06:42 PM

Ever gave a thought to how old clams are when you buy them at your supermarket?? Wouldn't worry too much about your fresh caught ones. As long as you discard the ones that are open, they keep for days to a week without any trouble. Speaking from experience. Doug tons of clams in Mag Bay and kept them for days. I always use fresh water to purge them , just overnight. Doesn't kill them, just gets rid of all the mud and sand in them.
Bon Appetit, Provecho y etc.

White Angel - 3-21-2006 at 07:09 PM

Up here in New England we keep them cold and dry for days. I'd be afraid you might drown them (yes-they drown when they deplete the oxygen in the water). I'd store them in a cold place and then maybe 6-12 hrs from eating put 'em in clean ocean water to purge. Just the Yankee perspective. We've dug clams behind Alfonsinas several times and they were fine right out of the sand.

water changes help

Skipjack Joe - 3-21-2006 at 07:22 PM

The more frequent the water changes the longer they will last. They use up O2 from sea water, same as any other living animal, and if you provide it with the water changes they will last longer and there will be fewer dead ones in your batch.

bajabound2005 - 3-21-2006 at 09:12 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by vandenberg
Doug tons of clams in Mag Bay and kept them for days. I always use fresh water to purge them , just overnight.


Is that Doug that dug clams? Or is it you that dug clams? Sorry, Language Police on patrol again!:rolleyes:

Bedman - 3-21-2006 at 09:26 PM

try this......

Use a mesh laundry bag or diving bag, put all the clams inside the bag and leave them in the ocean. Make sure you put them far enough out for low tide. Attach a line to keep them from drifting away. Usually 12 to 24 hours is long enough to purge thye sand.

Bedman

bajalou - 3-21-2006 at 09:34 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bedman
try this......

Use a mesh laundry bag or diving bag, put all the clams inside the bag and leave them in the ocean. Make sure you put them far enough out for low tide. Attach a line to keep them from drifting away. Usually 12 to 24 hours is long enough to purge thye sand.

Bedman


Not a good plan in San Felipe - low tide might be 1/2+ miles from the hi tide mark.

Bedman - 3-22-2006 at 12:40 AM

Lou and others in the Upper gulf......... get a Loooong rope.

Bedman

jim janet - 3-22-2006 at 05:33 AM

Be forwarned the clams from beaches where there are lots of campers can be very dangerous to eat.

Capt. George - 3-22-2006 at 07:09 AM

White Angel


Capt George family in North Truro on the Cape..you ever fish there?

White Angel - 3-22-2006 at 08:36 AM

Capt George-No, I'm not much of a Cape guy. Grew up in Marblehead-most of my fishing was/is for blues and stripers within a mile or two of home. Did a little offshore lobstering; but never fished the Cape. Caught a Marlin once off Cabo San Lucas-does that count?

Lindalou - 3-22-2006 at 09:36 AM

These clams came from an Island away from all campers, you can only get to it by boat, so they should be good to go. I changed the water on them this morning and lots of junk came out. Kinda glad now I'm purging them till tomorrow. Will let everyone know how they were.;)

Capt. George - 3-22-2006 at 09:42 AM

Marblehead, nice place. Yeah Marlin count! Son-in-law a commercial lobsterman out of P-town...

Fished the beaches commercially for 30 years on the lower Cape...man, it has just changed too much for my liking. Rules and regs and unfriendly rangers (psuedo-police).

Caught bass from the beach up to 61 lbs. bluefish to 20lbs some fishing in the mid 70's to early 80's. Coming back strong now, lotsa stripers..

adios amigo capt.g

Capt. George------OUCH!!!!

Barry A. - 3-22-2006 at 10:37 AM

-----"psuedo-police" and "unfriendly Rangers" ?????? You really know how to hurt a guy!!!! Most of the Ranger's that I know/knew (including myself) were/are escapees from big-city police depts. that just wanted to get back to a simpler life, and protect resources. Sorry your experiences have not been good. But "psuedo-police" is a bit mis-leading----the Ranger's that I knew all have College degrees, and have about 3 times the Police training that regular city cops, or deputy sheriffs have-----I am talking Federal, not State----not really familiar with the State Ranger programs.

Capt. George - 3-22-2006 at 10:55 AM

Barry

Check out the situation at Cape Cod "National" Seashore. Much different then a National Park...although the powers that be at CCNS like to think differently. It is strictly defined as a "recreation area".

Lots of bad instances between fishermen and Rangers on the Cape. The Seashore was formed in 63 by Kennedy etc. It was a "peopled" area lonh before the Dept of Interior became involved..When it was taken over by the DOI there was a covenant attached to the deed of conveyance. It guarunteed the "traditional rights of hunting, fishing and access".

We had 40 miles of beach to fish when I first went to the Cape in 68. We are now down to eight with that number of miles dropping to 2 in July/August (piping plovers = bullchit). I fought the interior dept, the CCNS and it's troup of "PSUEDO-Policemen" for 15 years to no avail.

I was a NYC Firefighter for 20 years working in the major ghettos of that city. I assure you my relationship with real Policemen, was a good one and necessary to both of Deparetments survival. I am not a "police basher".

I could go on and on, but what's the point. I've had lots of contact with park rangers in places other then CCNS and their attitudes and willingness to help was , at the very least, commendable and professional.

You can easily look up the farce that took place at the CCNS starting around the mid seventies....The superintendants of CCNS were quite akin to our indian agents of old.

Have you ever dealt with the "special police" of the Interior Dept? What a bunch of chits they are! They came to a demonstration we had at the Cape, clubs, guns, bullhorns, and of course, silver sunglasses. All this to control a "wild crowd" of fishermen and their families...infants to grandparents...The DOI is a disgrace to our form of government..Just go investigate some of the these these "gestapo" have done out west in the name of "eminent domain" and environmantal bullchit.

Barry, I wish you well and I'm sure you're one of the professional and competant Rangers that "work for the people". I thank you for that.

Capt. George

Capt. George-----

Barry A. - 3-22-2006 at 11:38 AM

Thanks for your obviously sincere response, and I am very dissapointed that you had such negative experiences at the Cape.

From 1969 to 1974 I was on the "Service Wide Special Law Enforcement Team" for the National Park Service. The NPS used us to help manage special events, and potentially serious LE situations that developed nation wide. My personal involvements were at the Yosemite riots (just after the actual riot), the motorcycle gang influx at Bad Lands Natl. Park and Mt. Rushmore in S. Dakota, and the 1969 100 year Golden Spike dedication in Utah. All experiences had a calming effect on the general public, and we thought we had excellent relations with the public at those sites. The team was made up of about 2/3 Rangers, and 1/3 National Park Police from Washington DC, at that time, and we numbered about 25 members, as I recall.

I do know that the "special LE team" is/was trained by the National Capitol Park Police, as well as the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in GA., and they received more Criminal Law Training than law students do at Law School. They know their stuff, believe me. I was pretty typical-----attended the San Diego Police Academy, the Riverside County Sheriffs Academy, the National Park Service LE Training School at Grand Canyon, the National Police School at FLETC, and the Criminal Investigation School for Special Agents at FLETC in GA.---------I had training coming out my ears, and it continued until I retired in 1996.

I guess it is all just in your perspective------I am not familiar with the Cape Cod NRA situation, but I was assigned to Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout Natl. Recreation Area for 18 months as a Ranger/Pilot in 1973-74. Natl. Recreation Areas are much different than National Parks, your right, and lots of the main-stream NPS rangers just did not quite "get that", and tended to think and act like they were in a National Park----that was a very real problem.
The strike-team tried to mitigate that by including Park Police, which of course are "hard core" professional city LE folks.

Again, I am sorry for your bad experience, and I thank you for your kind wishes. It IS all about the PEOPLE, you are right------that is the job. I have been retired for just over 10 years, so pretty much out of the loop, now.

turtleandtoad - 3-22-2006 at 04:31 PM

I assume that you people know that it's against the law for tourists to take crustations and shell fish and that you bought your clams from a local. Right???:o;)

clams

Lindalou - 3-24-2006 at 09:17 AM

Wow, steamed some of the clams, dipped them in butter with lemon and horseradish. Really, really good!:yes:::yes: I changed the water again and they all still look really good. I will eat the rest today. Oh, and all of them opened. Thanks everyone

woody with a view - 3-24-2006 at 09:38 AM

life is good......

BTW, they SHOULD open when steamed. it's when they're alive and they do not close when handled that you should discard.

Lindalou - 3-24-2006 at 10:04 AM

Yes, I know they should all open. Was just reporting that they all did.:tumble:

fdt - 3-24-2006 at 02:59 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajabound2005
Quote:
Originally posted by vandenberg
Doug tons of clams in Mag Bay and kept them for days. I always use fresh water to purge them , just overnight.


Is that Doug that dug clams? Or is it you that dug clams? Sorry, Language Police on patrol again!:rolleyes:

I really dug that :spingrin:

Capt. George - 3-25-2006 at 09:19 AM

I can dig it!:tumble: capt g

synch - 4-24-2006 at 02:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jim janet
Be forwarned the clams from beaches where there are lots of campers can be very dangerous to eat.



Do they have an extra ingredient? Unwelcome Surprizes?


ewwwwwwe

flyfishinPam - 4-24-2006 at 02:31 PM

We purge our chocolate clams in fresh water (kept cool and in the shade) for a few hours. You'll see sand at the bottom of the bucket after this time, then they're ready to eat.