Seafood · 20 foods

Shellfish Storage Times

How long shellfish last on the counter, in the fridge and in the freezer — opened and unopened. Sourced from USDA FoodKeeper, last verified November 2026.

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20 of 20 foods · sorted A–Z

	Counter		Fridge (unopened)		Freezes well?
Clams	2 hours	1–2 days	—	2–3 months	Yes
Cooked lobster tails	2 hours	2–3 days	—	2–4 weeks	Yes
Cooked shellfish	2 hours	3–4 days	—	1–3 months	Yes
Crab legs	2 hours	2–4 days	—	9–12 months	Yes
Crayfish	2 hours	1–3 days	—	6–18 months	Yes
Dungeness crab	2 hours	2–4 days	—	9–12 months	Yes
Fresh clams and mussels	2 hours	5–10 days	—	Not recommended	No
Fresh crab meat	2 hours	1–3 days	—	2–4 months	Yes
Frozen whole lobster	2 hours	1–2 days	—	2–4 weeks	Yes
King crab legs	2 hours	2–4 days	—	9–12 months	Yes
Live clams, mussels and oysters	2 hours	1–2 days	—	2–3 months	Yes
Live lobster	2 hours	1 day	—	Not recommended	No
Mussels	2 hours	1–2 days	—	2–3 months	Yes
Oysters	2 hours	1–2 days	—	2–3 months	Yes
Pasteurized crab meat	2 hours	3–5 days	10–12 months	4–10 months	Yes
Scallops	2 hours	1–3 days	—	6–18 months	Yes
Shrimp	2 hours	1–3 days	—	6–18 months	Yes
Shucked oysters, clams and mussels	2 hours	3–10 days	—	3–4 months	Yes
Snow crab legs	2 hours	2–4 days	—	9–12 months	Yes
Squid	2 hours	1–3 days	—	6–18 months	Yes