Why is it dangerous to eat shellfish that don open?
• If they don’t open, they’re dead already, and there’s no way of knowing for how long. Rotten mussels or clams are not something you want to ingest. You want those guys still bouncy and healthy until you kill them – sorry, but it’s true. Same with lobsters, same with shrimp if they’ve still got their heads on. Permalink | Reply Will Owen Sep 15, 2008 03:36PM • re: Will Owen Ahh, that explains it. Thanks! Permalink | Reply Kosmonaut Sep 15, 2008 04:00PM • re: Will Owen Why is it the same for shrimp that still have their heads? I buy shrimp with heads on all the time that are dead and haven’t had any issue (yet). Permalink | Reply Miss Needle Sep 15, 2008 06:31PM • re: Miss Needle Ok. To answer my own question, I found this article that says: “…head-on shrimp deteriorate rapidly. An enzyme in the head of the shrimp travels down the tail and begins to eat away at the flesh as soon as the shrimp dies…quick-frozen head-on shrimp that are thawed carefully can be very good. We suggest bu
