Expert: Greg Shreenan - 8/11/2008

Question
Hi my wife bought a couple of pounds of muscles. she then froze them. when we cooked them only one opened. Can they not be frozen?

Answer
Hi Shawn, thanks for allowing me to answer your question.

Muscles are alive if you buy them fresh.  Freezing them would render them dead.  They would generally speaking not open when cooked.  Fresh shellfish as a rule should be eaten the day it is purchased.  Freezing would work if the muscle was already cooked and removed from the shell then it could be used again in a seafood stew like a chowder of a ciopino.

When you buy any kind of muscle or clam make sure they are closed and not open.  When you get ready to cook them if they are open touch them and see if they will close.  If  they do not close on their own they are dead.  Throw the dead ones away.

Thanks again Shawn.  Feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

Your Friend, the fish guy,

Greg