Fried clam is a popular American food, often made from deep-fried or breaded clams. Fried clam strips are more popular than belly clams due to their lack of gastrointestinal parts. Recipes vary in batter and cooking medium, and fried clam strips are often served with dipping sauce. Belly clams require shelling and immediate preparation. When frying clams at home, it is important to bring the cooking medium to its full cooking temperature and have enough dipping sauce.
Fried clam is a very popular American food, and is often the meat of a clam that has been deep-fried or breaded and deep-fried. Another variation, often called strip fried clam, is a portion of a clam’s foot, usually a strip about 1/8 inch (3.175 mm) wide to 22 inches (22.86 cm) long. The strip is also battered or breaded and fried before serving.
New England restaurant diners have enjoyed fried clams since at least the mid-19th century. Fried clam strips, on the other hand, were first developed in the early part of the 20th century, and popular legend credits Thomas Soffron with their invention. Soffron has partnered with the Howard Johnson hotel and restaurant chain, which has introduced this regional favorite to the entire nation. Strips are more popular than fried clams — often called “belly clams” — because the strips omit the gastrointestinal parts of the clam. These parts are said to impart more flavor to the dish than the strip alone.
The process of preparing clams for frying varies little from one kitchen to another, but diners point to “favorite” recipes throughout New England. The differences between the various recipes are found in the batter recipes and the cooking medium. Nearly all fried clams and fried clam strips are dipped or dipped in evaporated milk first. After the milk bath, some cooks dip them in a batter thicker than pancake batter, while others roll the moistened clam in corn, regular wheat, or pastry flour. Either way, they’re fried in lard or one of many varieties of cooking oil.
Fried clam strips are served up in restaurants and the thousands of roadside clam shacks that dot the New England landscape. They’re also available frozen at grocery stores for home prep; store-bought fried clam strips can be baked as an alternative to frying. When served in a restaurant, they’re often accompanied by a generous helping of dipping sauce, pasta, and greens. When served at home or at a clam shack, they are often loaded onto a hot dog bun, covered in tartar sauce.
Belly clams, unlike clam strips, are not easily frozen for home preparation. Families who want to serve whole fried clams, therefore, must purchase fresh, live clams and remove the meat in a process called “shelling.” If the clams are dug up fresh from the beach, they should be discarded; otherwise, the fried clams will be very sandy. Live clams are removed by immersing them in salted water to which vinegar or cornmeal have been added. Clams will literally spit sand into their shells.
Once shelled, clams should be prepared immediately. Some merchandisers market fried clam kits that include the clam shells, batter mix, and tartar sauce. These kits ship with the clam meat packed in dry ice to keep it fresh, and cost five to ten times the cost of deep-fried clams at a restaurant.
There are two critical points to follow when frying clams at home, regardless of the specific recipe used. The first is to bring the cooking medium — either lard or oil — to its full cooking temperature before adding the clams, then add the breaded or breaded clams slowly and sparingly. This is done to prevent the clams from reducing the temperature of the oil, because the clams will absorb more oil if the temperature is lower. The second point is to make sure there is a good supply of dipping sauce in the house, such as tartar, remoulade, marinara or cocktail sauce; some meals are disappointing like fried clams served with not enough dipping sauce.
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