Hi, my name is Hank and I am addicted to fried clams…
Face planting into a basket of fried clams is one of my earliest food memories. Crunchy batter, salty clams, that shellfishy meatiness that only a clam really has — oysters and mussels are too dainty — and just a little whiff of an “ick” factor. After all, you eat the whole clam: foot, belly and all. And who knows what clams eat, anyway?
I have this gauzy memory of being on the dock in Galilee, Rhode Island. It’s somewhere around 1975, and I am with my family. My sisters Laura and Lizz are minding me. They’ll correct me, but I think the ferry to Block Island was late that day, and we decided to eat something at one of the clam shacks that were right there.
This was probably that tipping point moment into my addiction, because I ate a lot of clams that day. A lot. So many I remember my sisters prodding my distended belly, half-joking that I might explode. Almost, but I didn’t.
Once on the Block, I ate more clams, this time as Block Island clam cakes, another of my favorites. I gorged myself on clams at almost every meal that year and every vacation since then all through my childhood. Funny, we never ate clams when we were back home in New Jersey.
Only when we were on vacation, or whenever we were in Massachusetts. The Bay State, I soon learned, was fried clam mecca. You see, mum’s from Ipswich — and Ipswich is in Essex, Massachusetts, the home not only of Woodman’s, but of several other legendary clam shacks (such as the Clam Box) that all vie for the title of Greatest Fried Clams on Earth. All have great clams.
Fried clams are an art. The fat must be very hot, or the clams will overcook before the batter is golden and crispy. To my mind, you must have the whole clam in there, too, belly and all. Yes, they serve them without the bellies, but that to me seems like eating a lobster pre-shelled.
No fun and certainly not part of the real experience. You want a little seasoning in the breading, but not much or it will overwhelm the clams. Lemon wedges are a must, and many reach for either tartar sauce — “tah-tah sahss,” as mum pronounces it — or ketchup. I like just lemon, then maybe a dash of hot sauce after I’ve eaten 20 or 30 clams.
Virtually every fried clam in America is either Mya arenaria, the steamer clam, or Mercenaria mercenaria, the quahog, cherrystone or littleneck clam; the names are size grades, not different species. Alas, I live in California, where my beloved clams do not.
What to do? Well… we do have littlenecks here, only they are Protothaca staminea. Not the same, yes, but damn good. Manila clams are another excellent clam to fry like this.
I found myself near my Secret Clam Spot a few months back just at the right time.
Why not, I thought? So I went there, got my limit of 50 clams in short order, and headed back inland. What to do with them? The thought of New England fried clams kept popping up as I drove. But it was still cold out. Not the right weather. Not at all. Screw it. I made them anyway.
I was glad I did, These are about as close to real New England fried clams as you can get 3,000 miles away. And I should know. I’ve eaten a lot of them in the past 46 years…
Fried Clams, New England Style
Ingredients
- 1 pound shucked clams cherrystones, littlenecks, or Western littlenecks or Manila clams
- 1 cup corn flour, as in "fish fry" mix
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 cup buttermilk or evaporated milk
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Pick through the clams to make sure there are no bits of shell or obvious grit. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Submerge the clams in buttermilk.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºF and put a rack set over a baking sheet inside the oven. Heat enough oil to float the clams, about a quart or so. What oil? Anything you feel like, but I prefer peanut oil or, well... fresh lard. You want the oil hot, about 360ºF.
- When the oil is almost ready, coat a few clams in the breading. Don't do more than your fryer can handle in one batch, as you want the clams to go right from breading into the fryer. If you want super-extra crispy clams, dip the breaded clams back in the buttermilk and again in the breading; I think this is too much, but some people like them that way.
- Fry the clams until they are golden brown, about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Move them to the rack in the oven and repeat with the remaining clams -- make sure the oil gets back up to temperature between batches. Serve with homemade tartar sauce, malt vinegar, remoulade, ketchup or hot sauce.
I say give them a good soak with white vinegar (after they’re fried), the juice of 1/4 squeezed lemon, and then serve them with spicy cocktail sauce, which is basically ketchup, chili sauce, horseradish, and up to 1 tsp of your favorite hot sauce (Frank’s, Tabasco, or my personal favorite, Scorned Woman). And whole bellies of course. Yeah, they can be a turn-off if not fried right, but when they are… there’s nothing better.
Hank- I am in San Diego and have access to a couple good pismo clam spots and looking for recipes. Is This fried clam recipe an option? Any other recommendations? Thanks!
Jeff: Yes, but you might need to cut the clams into strips. Pismo clams are large.
Uummm.. Fried clams.. Uummm.. one of my favorite foods. Been eating them for almost 70 yrs. I live in Gloucester, Ma. , right in the heart of fried clam country. I frequent all the fried clam spots close by. Essex, Ipswich, Rockport, Gloucester, and many surrounding town. If you trip and fall you’ll find a wonderful fried clam spot. Hard to miss. We all have our favorites. Some minor differences but the clams are the key… I wouldn’t stray to far from this area though. I’ve been sorely disappointed heading into Maine , out to Montauk, Long Island and tried them in New Jersey where I grew up for the most part. Except In the summers and numerous trips to Gloucester/Rockport Island throughout the year visiting family. My great grandmother from Gloucester is considered the first fisherwomen in the country. With a number of other family members making a living on and around the ocean…
So if you Are in the area make sure you indulge. Fried Clams are not to be missed. Oh and I am a real foodie…
Hi my name is Al and I’m 83 yrs. old. When I visited my grandmother in Weymouth MA we used to pass by 7 EE’s restaurant for clams in Quincy MA. does anyone remember this place? The best place around for clams
Slight correction. Ipswich is a separate town from Essex though situated next to each other. They are both in Essex County.
My favorite purveyor is the Clam Box in Ipswich. Sadly I’m now in Florida & even though we have many New Englanders who have re-located here & opened New England seafood places, none are like home.
finally, the perfect recipe! We thought it passed with my friends Mom. Thanks for the memories! YUM!
Is there such a thing as frozen full belly clams?
I live in CA and we just don’t have the right clams here?
Ellen: I’ve never seen them for sale, but we have good clams here in California. Look for Western littlenecks or cockles and they will be a good alternative.
I used to work at the clam box. They use evaporated milk, then a mixture of 1/2 corn flour and 1/2 cake flour.
I agree fried clams are amazing. But if you want them as good as Wodmans you need lard for oil. Go big or go home. My opinion, tartar sauce, ketchup should be banned.
S.O.S. We don’t get fresh clams here in Louisiana however I was thinking that maybe I could get clams in the can and somehow fry those up. P.S. We’re from the Plymouth, MA area and miss our fried clams.
Fran: Meh. I personally wouldn’t do fried clams with canned clams. Maybe just do this recipe with local Louisiana oysters?
Can you use shucked cooked Steamers for this recipe and air fry them using this recipe?
Rebecca: I’ve never air fried anything, so I don’t know. As for using pre-cooked clams, I suspect they will get very tough once you cook them a second time.
I’m from MA & love love fried clams! Not a clam to be found here in KY. Do you think whole clams in a can would be a good New England fried clam?
Good Job. You nailed the secret recipe. We use corn meal sometimes tho.
Is corn flour the same thing as Masa flour? Or should I use regular cornmeal — which sounds like it could be too heavy. Maybe a mix of cornmeal and flour?
Lisa: Nope, it’s different. Corn flour in this case is what is often sold as “fish fry,” it’s very fine cornmeal. You can use fine cornmeal, which many places do. Just make sure it’s not coarse or it will be too heavy, as you mention. Definitely not masa.
Masa is exceptional for all fried foods smooth like store bought flour but with more substance love to hear how your recipe with masa turned out!
Dennis here in Haverhill Ma. If you order clam strips, you get no bellies. I am spoiled, 5 miles from Ipswich, best clams undisputed. Ordered clams on Cape Cod and asked for source, “Ipswich” !
You would never find anything but the soft shell steamer clams used for fried clams in most of New England.
Clam strips are the huge sea clams cut up, they are not just steamers without the bellies.
Clambo: Not true. I have seen quahogs used as fried clams all over New England, although yes, steamers are more common. And clam strips are steamers with no bellies in some places, sea clams in others. There is no universal truth here, as different places do different things.
Since childhood, great fried clams have been my absolute favorite food.
I was given to understand that Ipswitch clams–a type of “soft-shell clam;” steamers are soft-shell– was the best clam to use for frying. Here and elsewhere on youtube, I find that people recommend cherrystones/little necks (the same species as far as I know), and Manila clams should be used. But these are all “hard-shell” clams.
What’s up?
In restaurants. I think that the best fried clams are the Ipswitch. But not only are these extremely expensive clams these days (they are sold at day-to-day variable market value, the way we used to buy lobsters in restaurants).
So, can anyone explain? What kind(s) of clams do I really need for frying.
Thanks,
– Ed Kilbourne, MD
Atlanta, GA 30338
Ed: Either is fine. I’ve used both for many many years, and while steamers are better, they’re not dramatically so.
To Adrienne M. Gariepy I have lived in FL for 25 years in Broward County. You can get fresh live clams here at certain times of the year. You just have to call some of the Fish markets and ask if they are in. I have gotten Ipswich clams quite frequently and made clambakes. It’s funny to see the reaction from people that have never had any of this stuff.Almost everyone I’ve served it tohas liked it. You have to teach them how to eat it. Good Luck.
Hank, I will be moving to Florida soon and figure I will try your buttermilk batter recipe. It must produce tender clams. I may try googling Ipswich clams at a later time to have them shipped to me via FEDEX.
where are the soft shell clams for the perfect fried clam? not cherry stones etc. ipswich yes, not cherry stones or manila.
Hank, I thank you for this blog and recipe! Your story is funny and I too and a fried clam lover and from Maine. I will be trying this tonight!!
Gin
Hank, thank you! I live in New England and go out Quohogging at least a dozen times a year and have been for almost 17 years. This was the first time that i fried quohogs and they were sooooooo goooood! Your batter recipe is just right. I rarely eat fried food so 12 of these filled me up. My wife and son, who both love soft shell fried clams, also thought these were great! My son and i made these together and we thought they might end up being to chewy or this or that, but they were fabulous. Thanks Hank!
5 min is to long just fry untill golden brown
Steve: Then fry yours for less time.
The corn flour is great for frying any seafood. Dip fish in egg and corn flour. Fry until golden. Makes perfect onion rings every time!
I live in California, and cannot find fried clams/clam strips anywhere. I found some at Red Robin, but they no longer serve them. So grateful for this recipe!!
Clam Box Fried Clams
Source: Clam Box, Ipswich, Massachusetts
Recipe Ingredients
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash salt and pepper
4 dozen freshly shucked clams
1/2 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
Oil for frying
Method
Combine evaporated and whole milks, egg, vanilla extract, salt and pepper. Soak clams in liquid, then dredge in combination of cake flour and cornmeal, fluffing them in the flour mix for light but thorough coverage. Shake off excess flour.
Fry at 365 to 375 degrees F until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Do not crowd clams in oil. Drain on paper towels, salt to taste, and serve immediately with French fries, onion rings and coleslaw.
Sounds gross but vanilla is Clam Shacks recipe for best fried clams, make sure you use soft shell or “steamer” clams, any other is just not the same.
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash salt and pepper
4 dozen freshly shucked clams
1/2 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
Oil for frying
I’m an addict too! Thankfully Legal Sea Foods has opened some restaurants here in NJ (land of awful fried seafood) so I can satisfy the cravings, but cooking is far more convenient!
This is a great recipe, but to my taste it was very under-seasoned. You only have 1 teaspoon of salt for 2 cups of flours. I upped it to a tablespoon the second time, and it made all the difference. I also slipped in a tablespoon of Old Bay.
Wonderful!
Just spent a week at Cape Cod satisfying my fried clam addiction. Now back home in Brooklyn Heights with withdrawal symptoms. Determined to control the mania, I bought an electric deep fryer and checked out recipes on the internet. Soon I will lay out ingredients…corn flour, buttermilk, and Old Bay Seasoning…acquire a pint of shucked steamers…and allay the craving with two minutes in peanut oil at 365 degrees. Repetitions should hold me until my next visit to MacMillan Wharf in Provincetown. Here’s to the lunacy I share with many of you.
I grew up in Ipswich, MA, like Hank. I now live in Virginia beach, and terribly miss the clams from Ipswich and Essex. Recipe sounds good; will try it soon with some clams I get from a clam farm on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
What I wouldn’t give for a fresh clam roll right now! Landlocked in Denver. Wonder if there are still good old Howard Johnson restaurants around.
Large Belly Clams from the Clambox in Essex, Ma has the best fried clams on the planet. Take it from a foodie local.
>visit Sandy’s restaurant at the foot of the Bourne Bridge
Sandy’s is closed. It was bypassed by the highway going over the Bourne Bridge. It was a terrific seafood restaurant and definitely missed.
Where in Idaho can I find a restaurant that offers Fried Clams?
super recipe! my go-to for clams.
Red Wing. A must! I lived in Sharon Ma,now in Reno area. No fried,clams here. ( sniff)
Red wing in Walpole Massachusetts has the best and most consistently good fried clam plate. The place next to the borne bridge serves good clams also. the last time I was there I had the biggest bellies I had ever seen on a clam. I just wish there were more on the plate.
Peter
Hank,
I’m from CT and every summer return home and dig steamers, rake quahogs, even find the occasional scallop, mussel, whelk, and oyster.
Out here in the Bay Area I have no idea where to go or what to look for in terms of surface indicators of clams. You seem to have developed some good local knowledge, care to share?
Also, I continue to read that there are actually true steamer clams all over the west coast that were brought here years ago. Curious, if you can validate that with any real world experiences. If I knew I could go dig some mya arenaria within driving distance of Sunnyvale, I’d be on it like white on rice.
Thanks,
Matt
Oh yum! I have no idea if it is still there but my first experience (with many more following!) with whole belly fried clams was at a clam shack called Berta’s Beach Box on Cape Cod – it was a must stop for us every summer as we headed out to North Eastham for our annual family vacation. I wasn’t even ten, but I could devour a huge box myself. Clam strips are for wimps! Good memories! Just bought myself a couple of dozen wild caught Cherrystones and may have to try this myself.
If you want the best clams on cape cod you should visit Sandy’s restaurant at the foot of the Bourne Bridge
Wow, you just brought me back over 50 years. I was born in MA. WE lived in Essex when I was a kid. Woodmans was my first encounter with clams as a child. THERE IS NO BETTER PLACE ON EARTH. Like you, I would eat clams until it killed me if I could! Thanks for the info. Just found live steamers right here in Missouri (where I live now) Needed a fry solution…can’t thank you enough!
I live in the Pacific Northwest. Near Tillamook Oregon on the coast. Yes you are correct. Do not eat the razor clam bellies. Bad tasting. But the rest of the clam is very high quality and if fried quickly very tender.
You guys make your homemade Fried Clams sounds so good that i want to try em, even if i gotta buy the frozen ones in the supermarket. But, i wanna make them fresh the way you make em! Sounds Great! Thanks!!
Actually Fetch, in your hometown of Walpole, MA there is a great place serving clams with whole bellies. It is the Red Wing Diner, and they serve my favorites.
Hey Hank, You got my mouth watering, born and raised MA. Miss those fried clams. During an extensive bit of research about alternative clams to fry(How I happened onto your site)I saw several mentions of Pacific Razor clams. My question is regarding the gut or belly. Everything I’ve read says BE SURE TO CLEAN THE GUT. Is it that they are not safe to eat, fowl tasting, or are these just people who didn’t know you can eat bellies?
Can only eat a few Whole fried clams at a time.
Nowhere in my town (Walpole, MA) serves whole bellies.
But the Bristol Square Cafe which is right by my house serves a Clam Strip Roll.
Very tasty. And ultra simple: Fry clams. Put into a New England style hot dog bun.
Hank, you’ve go me confused. Aren’t fried clams in New England Mya arenaria, not Mercenaria mercenaria?
I don’t know, you say,”Virtually every fried clam in America is Mercenaria mercenaria, the quahog, cherrystone or littleneck clam; the names are size grades, not different species.”
I love “big belly” softshell clams from Narragansett Bay. I do agree all clams are delicious and I clam whenever I can wherever I am. In the east in RI and MA and in CA near Point Reyes.
You know, Muffy – I think you’re right. I’d forgotten this, and since I posted the recipe I’ve had as many people talk about fried steamers as fried littlenecks. So there ya have it. Two clams used in New England. (I changed the post text above) Thanks for the heads up!
Was just looking for something new to try on Sunday – this will just work! thanks.
My guilty pleasure, and at last a way to cook them if I can just get decent clams in this landlocked state. Though I think many on the Rhode Island– Galilee!– and and Massachusetts coast use “steamers” rather than the harder- shelled cherrystones and quahogs (the last two being same clam different sizes).
The real ones only go from Rhode Island to about Portland ME; outside those boundaries something changes. My favorite clam shop used to be in Brant Rock, northernmost village in Marshfield, Mass, when I lived just south in Green Harbor on the Duxbury marsh. To my delight it was still there 2 years ago when i visited and I ate like a pig. Can’t buy fried clams in New Mexico!
I’ve dug a lot of pacific littleneck and manila clams the past couple years, but I have never done them fried. I’m going to have to give this a try. It looks and sounds delicious! How much of an ordeal is shucking them raw? If I’ve gotta do it 50 times, I would hope it’s not as big a pain as pismo clams or rock scallops are…
Oh, to live land-locked… my experience with fried clams is abysmal and paltry. I know what I’m looking for the next time that I travel East!
Recently, I bought some ‘Fish Fri’ (correct spelling of that particular brand), only to discover that it is nothing more than corn flour. Solution, I add a liberal amount of ‘Old Bay’ seasoning whenever I deep-fry seafood, with great results.
I do love some fried clams (baked, steamed, and raw are great too). This post, though, for some reason makes me think about whelk. I can’t recall from past posts, but have you done anything with these guys? I had a high school teacher back in NC who turned me on to them, and they’re a pretty good substitute for conch (same family, I think)… which is good, since actual conch has pretty much disappeared from the southern coast and they’re protected now. Local oystermen considered them trash, and hated them because they whelk would come in and feed on the oysters.
Anyway, fried clams made me think of fried conch, which made me think of fried whelk, which made me think that a coastal forager could do well with some of these big ol’ snails.
Have you tried Ranch 99 for clams? They have a large assortment of seafood.
I don’t buy meat or seafood anymore, so I make due with the clams I dig myself.
Yes indeed, delicious! And the bellies are the best part, I’ve eaten them several times in New England, and heard the locals ask if they are big bellies before they order.