When are clams at their fattest? Why do live clams open when placed in the refrigerator?

As the saying goes, "Oysters grow fat in cold water, clams grow fat in hot water." This means that oysters grow fattest when the weather is cool, while clams grow fattest when the weather is hot. So when are clams fattest? Here is an introduction to when clams grow fattest, hoping to help you choose the fattest and most delicious clams.

Contents of this article

1. When are clams the fattest?

2. Why do live clams open when placed in the refrigerator?

3. How to choose flower clams

When are clams at their fattest?

Clams are a dish that many families cook. When buying clams, of course, people hope to buy clams with fat meat. Clams don't have much meat to begin with, and if you are unlucky enough to eat clams with less meat, it will be even less satisfying to eat.

As the saying goes, "Oysters grow in cold water, clams grow in hot water." This means that oysters grow the fattest when the weather is cool, while clams grow the fattest when the weather is hot. Under normal circumstances, the most suitable seawater temperature for the growth of clams is about 15-30℃. In spring, when the water temperature reaches above 11℃, clams begin to grow; in winter, when the water temperature drops below 10℃, clams stop growing under this temperature environment. Clams grow the fastest in the two time periods of April-June and September-November, while they grow very slowly from December to February of the following year, and almost do not grow. Since the weather in the north is colder, most of the cultivation of clams is in the south.

When eating clams, you can choose a season with relatively hot weather. The meat of clams in July and August in summer is the fattest and most plump. Clams can also be eaten in spring and autumn. Clams are warm-loving animals. In winter, their growth rate is extremely slow, or even stops growing, so don't eat clams in winter.

Why do live clams open when placed in the refrigerator?

Do you mean opening to breathe or die? Living clams will open their mouths to breathe. Generally, they don't need to be placed in the refrigerator. As long as they are kept in a low temperature place, they can live for a few days. It is better to eat them as soon as possible. If they are placed in the freezer, they will freeze to death. In the freezer of the refrigerator, because of the low temperature, they will freeze to death. In addition, the low temperature has a dehumidifying effect, so the clams will open their mouths.

How to choose flower clams

Generally, clams are placed in the seafood section of the supermarket, in pots and pans, and you can see the shape of the clams through the water. First, look at the color, and choose the ones with shiny shells. Different species have different colors, white clams are whiter, and flower clams are darker.

Don’t think that the clams that are open are alive. On the contrary, the more open the clams are in the water, the longer they have been dead.

Are the closed boxes always alive? Not necessarily. If you are not afraid of the fishy smell, you can pick up two and knock them against each other, and you can easily tell the empty one from the others.

Choose the ones with their tongue half sticking out. The ones that retract when touched are alive, fresh, and have delicious meat.

When choosing clams, you can secretly poke a small hole in the bottom of the plastic bag you are buying. As you choose, water will leak out. This way, when you want to weigh the clams, you can put on a new bag and there will be less water when weighing, which is more cost-effective.

When you get home, the clams need to be placed in salt water for a while, and add more salt. Clams are marine and will easily die without a seawater environment.