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Clam Juice
When there's no time to shuck fresh littlenecks for a homemade seafood base, we reach for a jug of their juice.
Top Pick
WinnerBar Harbor Clam Juice
Buy at Amazon“Fresh,” “bright,” and “clean,” this clam juice amplified seafood flavor in our shrimp pasta.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.49 for 8 oz.
“Fresh,” “bright,” and “clean,” this clam juice amplified seafood flavor in our shrimp pasta.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.49 for 8 oz.
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What You Need to Know
When there’s no time to shuck fresh littlenecks and cherrystones for a homemade seafood base, we reach for a jug of their juice. Clam juice is made by briefly steaming fresh clams in salted water and filtering the resulting broth before bottling. Of the three brands we tried adding to our Garlicky Shrimp Pasta, only one sample garnered criticism for tasting “too strong” and “too clammy”—perhaps because its sodium content was more than double that of the other brands. Both the top two brands—in fact the same product bearing two different labels—hail from the shores of clam country in Maine, are available nationwide, and bring a “bright” and “mineral-y” flavor to seafood dishes.
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
WinnerBar Harbor Clam Juice
“Fresh,” “bright,” and “clean,” this clam juice amplified seafood flavor in our shrimp pasta.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.49 for 8 oz.
“Fresh,” “bright,” and “clean,” this clam juice amplified seafood flavor in our shrimp pasta.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.49 for 8 oz.
Look's Atlantic Clam Juice
Same stuff, same bottle, different label. Tasters considered this a “seafood-y,” savory addition to our pasta.
Price at Time of Testing: $1.89 for 8 oz.
Same stuff, same bottle, different label. Tasters considered this a “seafood-y,” savory addition to our pasta.
Price at Time of Testing: $1.89 for 8 oz.
Recommended with Reservations
Snow's Clam Juice
Most tasters found this acceptable, but a few felt its heavily salted clam flavor was “too strong” and even tasted “bitter.”
Price at Time of Testing: $3.02 for 8 oz.
Most tasters found this acceptable, but a few felt its heavily salted clam flavor was “too strong” and even tasted “bitter.”
Price at Time of Testing: $3.02 for 8 oz.
Reviews You Can Trust
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See Why.