How do I keep Clam juice

Question

I have about three gallons of clam juice, after steaming about 400 clams. How can I safely keep, can, or store this much juice for further use?

Answer 1

I would suggest to reduce the juice as much es possible (to safe space later on in the freezer or shelf) and either

• freeze it or
• can it (see here and here for canning with a pressure cooker and here for canning with an oven)

Just putting the juice into the fridge is not sufficient. Neither just boiling the juice and filling it into a jar is sufficient because then you are not sterilizing the juice but only pasteurizing.

Answer 2

I'm not much for bivalves, so I can't say that I've specifically dealt with clam juice before. I would personally consider treating it like shrimp or crab stock ... which is basically the same as I would do for chicken stock:

1. Reduce it in a wide pot, to intensify the flavors and reduce the total volume to store.
2. Freeze it in assorted containers, based on how I'm likely to use it.

My understanding of clam juice is that it's generally has a more 'fresh' flavor to it, so it's possible that reducing it might be a problem. If that's the case, freeze what you can fit in your freezer, then use the rest of it to make a soup, risotto, paella, or similar.

Canning might be possible, but being a meat both, it likely requires pressure canning, which most people don't have the equipment on hand for.