A New England specialty, deep-fried clams are made from shucked clams that are battered and fried in oil. The dish was invented July 3, 1916, by Lawrence “Chubby” Woodman in Essex, Massachusetts, at his potato chips concession stand. After complaining about slow business to a fisherman, Chubby took seriously the man’s joking suggestion to try frying a nearby bucket of clams. The next day fried clams were served during the Essex Fourth of July parade and became a hit that spread across the country.
Recipe Servings: 2
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- Oil, as needed for frying
- 2 lbs full-belly clams, shucked
- 2 cups buttermilk or evaporated milk
- 1 cup corn flour or fish fry mix
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 lemons, quartered
Directions
- Set an oven rack in the middle position and place a baking sheet under the rack. Preheat oven to 200°F.
- Preheat oil in a deep-fryer or heavy saucepan to about 360°F. There should be enough oil for the clams to float.
- Rinse clams under cold water to remove any bits of shell and grit. Place them in a bowl and pour the buttermilk or evaporated milk over them.
- Stir together corn flour or fish fry mix, flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a shallow bowl.
- Remove a couple clams from the milk, shake to remove excess and coat each clam in flour mixture.
- Place prepared clams into hot oil.
- Deep-fry clams for about 1½–2 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove clams from oil and place them on rack in the oven.
- Repeat steps five through seven until all the clams are cooked.
- Serve the clams warm with lemon wedges on the side and optional dipping sauces such as malt vinegar, ketchup, remoulade, tartar sauce, or hot sauce.
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