Can you freeze fresh clams, mussels, oysters?
Freezing fresh clams, mussels, oysters is not recommended
USDA FoodKeeper advises against freezing fresh clams, mussels, oysters; texture and quality suffer.
Fresh clams, mussels, oysters
Not recommended
What the freezer time means
Freezer times from USDA FoodKeeper are about quality, not safety. Food kept frozen at 0 F (-18 C) stays safe indefinitely; what changes over the months is texture, moisture and flavour. Wrap fresh clams, mussels, oysters tightly, press out air, and label the pack with the date so the guideline above is easy to track.
Thaw in the fridge, not on the counter. Anything that thawed in the fridge can be refrozen, with some further loss of quality; anything left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should not go back in.
Storage habits that make the difference
Store live shellfish in a breathable container, like a bowl covered with a damp cloth, never sealed in plastic or submerged in water. Keep them cold, near 32 to 40 F (0 to 4 C), and cook the same day if possible. Refrigerate cooked shellfish and shrimp promptly and use within a couple of days.
Can you freeze other seafood: shellfish?
Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). How we decode the data.