How to Clean Fresh Clams Properly

　　Mussels. Mussel flavor is extremely fresh and nutritious, but they must be thoroughly cleaned before cooking. Let's talk about the correct way to clean fresh mussels.

First, pull off the mussel beard, which looks like a tuft of grass; these are actually the mussel's byssus threads. After removing the byssus, use a harder brush to scrub the mussel shell clean. If there are particularly hard stains on the shell, use a knife to scrape them off.

If you find any broken shells or mussels that cannot close their shells during this process, discard these directly. Mussels that feel very light in hand might be hollow inside; those feeling very heavy may have been filled with sand. Discard both types.

Next, thoroughly rinse the mussels. Place them in a clean basin and add sufficient water with a little salt, making it slightly less salty than seawater. Let them sit and soak for 2 to 3 hours (or overnight), allowing them to expel all the mud from their stomachs before rinsing again. Remember to change the water multiple times during soaking for better results.

Mussels will spit out mud when they detect iron smells, so you can place a piece of iron in the basin, like a knife, to speed up this process.

You can also add a few drops of cooking oil or salad oil to the water during soaking; this aids in expelling the mud as well.

To prevent mussels from re-ingesting the expelled mud, you can place them on a sieve in the basin or put them in a basket and submerge it. Ensure some distance between the mussels and the basin bottom.

By following these methods and techniques, you can clean your mussels very thoroughly to avoid eating any sand while enjoying them.