Make ahead Clams Casino question

[msmofet]

This is the recipe I will be making (maybe with a few tweaks) >>> Clams Casino Has Every Reason to Be a Great Dish. Now It Is. | Serious Eats

It says:

Cooking the clams first allows us to collect all their juices, then reduce them down with shallots, garlic, more bacon, and white wine. The eventual result: bacon-clam compound butter. (this sounds wonderful as an addition to white clam sauce)

Pre-cooking the clams, then packing them back into their shells with the compound butter, means that this recipe, unlike most others, can be made well ahead of time and finished in the oven right before serving.

My question is can I prep them (up to point of putting clams back into shells) the weekend before Christmas Eve and freeze them. Then on Christmas eve pop them into oven frozen and cook till heated through and browned? It doesn't state how long "well ahead of time" is. It does say I can refrigerate overnight. But no freezer time frame.

Basically I want to avoid the craziness buying seafood to close to Christmas eve (those woman get CRAZY rude).
TIA

 

[blissful]

I had always heard that freezing cooked seafood, upon thawing, they give off a lot of water and the texture changes.
So I googled:

Can you freeze cooked steamed clams?

Do not freeze clams in their shells. To freeze clams, shuck them, being careful to save their liquid. ... Cooked clams can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Freezing is not recommended for cooked clams as they will become extremely tough and rubbery.

I guess I'd be afraid of them getting tough and rubbery.
Is it possible to talk with the fish/clam people, and reserve what you need, prepaid for a close to holiday pick up time? We do that with some things instead of fighting crowds or taking the chance to go without because they have run out.

 

[msmofet]

I had always heard that freezing cooked seafood, upon thawing, they give off a lot of water and the texture changes.
So I googled:


I guess I'd be afraid of them getting tough and rubbery.
Is it possible to talk with the fish/clam people, and reserve what you need, prepaid for a close to holiday pick up time? We do that with some things instead of fighting crowds or taking the chance to go without because they have run out.

Thank you for reply and suggestions. Maybe I'll risk it and try to do them the day before.

 

[Addie]

Thank you for reply and suggestions. Maybe I'll risk it and try to do them the day before.

Even if you steam, cook clams or any shellfish too long they will become rubbery. Since they will be going into the oven for the second cooking, I would recommend undercooking them the first time.