"Tee" > wrote in message
...
> I'm new at cooking mussels and clams. If the clam or mussel is open then
> I
> know it's advisable to throw it out. Also, after cooking if the clam or
> mussel hasn't opened than throw it out. My question is does the clam or
> mussel have to be tightly closed. I have seen some chefs on tv cooking
> mussels or clams and were washing off the beard, etc. and some mussels
> were
> slightly open, but the chef still used them. Is it ok to use the ones
> that
> are open slightly? Also, when preparing with linguine, is it ok to pour
> the
> liquid over the pasta, or is it better to mix with some spaghetti sauce
> and
> serve mussels and clams on the side? Thanks.
>
>

A perfectly good clam or mussel may be open after sitting for a while, but
it should close when you annoy it.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.