How many days are oysters, clams and mussels good for?
Santa Monica Seafood receives clams, oysters and mussels at least twice a week and in some cases up to 4 days a week. It usually takes at least 3 days but more commonly, 4 days for the shellfish to arrive once they have been harvested. Therefore, in order to get shellfish with tags that indicate the shellfish are less than 4 days out of the water is not feasible. We ensure that all shellfish are fine for at least 6 days if properly stored and handled. (Please see our shellfish handling instructions). There is no need to return product with shellfish tags that are less than 6 days from date of harvest. When looking at shellfish tags to determine how long since they have been harvested one should always look for the “pull date” on the tags. This is the date at which the oyster has been pulled from its natural environment or its wet storage tank.
