Bad clams

[Thomcat]

I bought a fivers worth of 'fresh' (?) clams from a very good fishmongers yesterday. Went to start cooking and well over half of them were open, and not closing. I'm taking them back today cos I don't think for over half to be open is acceptable.

Are the ones that are only really firmly clamped tight okay? If so only a 1/3 were good.
Another 1/3 were closed but not clamped, and the rest were open.

Would you get more and risk the same happening?
Was so looking forward to my linguine vongole.

Well, if they are alive they should be closed and the ones that are open (and unresponsive ) definitively dead and not fresh. HAve you (or the fishmonger) put them in the freezer? because if you have they are already dead and a whole different set of rules applies...

Hiya Chandra,
They weren't in the freezer when I bought them, they were in a big bucket on the fresh fish counter and I came stright home and put them in the fridge.

I supose that you have already decided what to do about the clams. It appears that some of them may have died of hypothermia... apparently, the closed ones should be OK, the once that are open (and don't close in response) are better in the bin, if once cooked some of them don't open, throw them away as well.

the once????? ones! even..