Clam cakes (also known as clam
fritter
A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables or other ingredients which have been Batter (cooking), battered or breading, breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-frying, deep-fried. Fritters ar ...
s) are a part of
New England cuisine
New England cuisine is an American cuisine which originated in the New England region of the United States, and traces its roots to traditional English cuisine and Native American cuisine of the Abenaki, Narragansett, Niantic, Wabanaki, Wampan ...
, most commonly found in
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
although they can also be found in
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, and
. They are balls of
battered clams which have been deep-fried. On the Maine Coast, clam cakes are formed into large, flat patties and fried.
Clam cakes are often served at
take-out
A take-out or takeout (U.S., Canada, and the Philippines); carry-out or to-go (Scotland and some dialects in the U.S. and Canada); takeaway (England, Wales, Australia, Lebanon, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and occasionally in Nort ...
food outlets or other informal settings as
finger food
Finger foods are small, individual portions of food that are eaten out of hand. They are often served at social events. The ideal finger food usually does not create any mess (i.e. no crumbs, drips, or any kind of mess), but this criterion is o ...
, as part of a meal consisting of several clam cakes, french fries, and cole slaw. This is often served alongside
clam chowder
Clam chowder is any of several chowder soups in American cuisine containing clams. In addition to clams, common ingredients include diced potatoes, salt pork, and onions. Other vegetables are not typically used. It is believed that clams were us ...
. The cakes tend to be eaten dry, dipped in clam chowder,
tartar sauce
Tartar sauce (French: ''sauce tartare''; spelled tartare sauce in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, South Africa) is a condiment made of mayonnaise, chopped pickles and/or relish, capers, and herbs such as tarragon and dill. Tarta ...
or
ketchup
Ketchup or catsup is a table condiment with a sweet and tangy flavor. The unmodified term ("ketchup") now typically refers to tomato ketchup, although early recipes used egg whites, mushrooms, oysters, grapes, mussels, or walnuts, among other ...
.
Clam fritters are particularly popular during
clamming
Clam digging is a North American term for a common way to harvest clams (edible infaunal bivalve mollusks) from below the surface of the tidal sand flats or mud flats where they live. It is done both recreationally (for enjoyment or as a sou ...
season when clams are in abundance and it is legal during limited, specified periods for private citizens to dig their own. The surplus of clams must be used up quickly so they do not spoil.
Hank Shaw described them as, "think clam
beignet
Beignet ( , also , ; ) is a type of ''fritter'', or deep-fried pastry, usually made from yeast dough in France, possibly made from pâte à choux and called Pets-de-nonne, nun's fart, in France, but may also be made from other types of dough, i ...
, or donut hole. Only savory. Crispy, golden brown on the outside, pillowy and light on the inside. Steam rises from the first bite. The slightest aroma of brine surrounds you. Tiny chunks of clam nestle themselves in the folds of the pillow, offering surprising bites of chewy meatiness as you down one of these little glories after another."
Preparation
Each clam cake is a
deep-fried
Deep frying (also referred to as deep fat frying) is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, traditionally lard but today most commonly oil, as opposed to the shallow oil used in conventional frying done in a frying pan. Normal ...
ball-shaped mixture containing chopped
clam
Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two she ...
(usually
quahog
The hard clam (''Mercenaria mercenaria''), also known as the round clam, hard-shell (or hard-shelled) clam, or the quahog, is an edible marine bivalve mollusk that is native to the eastern shores of North America and Central America from Prince ...
) combined with various other ingredients to give it a firm,
hushpuppy
A hush puppy (or hushpuppy) is a small, savory, deep-fried round ball made from cornmeal-based batter. Hushpuppies are frequently served as a side dish with seafood and other deep-fried foods.
History
The use of ground maize (corn) in cookin ...
-like consistency once fried. The
batter
Batter or batters may refer to:
Common meanings
* Batter (cooking), thin dough that can be easily poured into a pan
* Batter (baseball), person whose turn it is to face the pitcher
* Batter (cricket), a player who is currently batting
* Batter ...
is made from flour, milk,
clam juice
Clam juice is a broth derived from steamed clams, which can be drunk on its own or used as an ingredient in various dishes and beverages.
Preparation
Clam juice is typically prepared from the liquid obtained from steamed clams. Clam juice may be ...
, eggs and a
leavening agent
In cooking, a leavening agent () or raising agent, also called a leaven () or leavener, is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action (gas bubbles) that lightens and softens the mixture. An alterna ...
, typically baking powder. Some recipes may include cornmeal.
History
Local legend holds that clam cakes were first served at
Aunt Carrie's
Aunt Carrie's is a seafood restaurant in the Point Judith neighborhood of Narragansett, Rhode Island, opened in 1920 by Carrie and Ulysses Cooper. In 1994, Carrie's grandson Bill died; since then, his wife and now their two daughters run the rest ...
, a seafood restaurant in
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Narragansett is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 14,532 at the 2020 census. However, during the summer months the town's population more than doubles to near 34,000. The town of Narragansett occupies ...
in 1920. According to this legend, Carrie Cooper invented clam cakes by adding fresh clams to her
corn fritter
Corn fritters are fried cakes of a dough or batter made of, or containing a featured quantity of maize ( corn). Originating in Native American cuisine, they are a traditional sweet and savory snack in the Southern United States, as well as Indon ...
recipe, thus inventing clam fritters. Clam cake recipes are actually as old as the 19th century, and are an old staple of
Rhode Island banking crisis
The Rhode Island banking crisis took place in the early 1990s, when approximately a third of the US state of Rhode Island's population lost access to funds in their bank accounts. The events were triggered by the failure of a Providence bank, H ...
cuisine.
See also
*
Clam chowder
Clam chowder is any of several chowder soups in American cuisine containing clams. In addition to clams, common ingredients include diced potatoes, salt pork, and onions. Other vegetables are not typically used. It is believed that clams were us ...
*
Crab cake
A crab cake is a variety of fishcake that is popular in the United States. It is composed of crab meat and various other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard (typically prepared mustard, but sometimes mustard powder), eggs, and ...
*
Fishcake
A fishcake (sometimes written as fish cake) is a culinary dish consisting of filleted fish or other seafood minced or ground, mixed with a starchy ingredient, and fried until golden.
Asian-style fishcakes usually contain fish with salt, water, ...
*
List of clam dishes
This is a list of clam dishes and foods, which are prepared using clams as a primary ingredient. Edible clams can be eaten raw or cooked. Preparations methods include steamed, boiled, baked or fried.
Clam dishes
* Clams casino – a clam "on ...
*
List of seafood dishes
This is a list of notable seafood dishes. Seafood dishes are food dishes which use seafood (fish, shellfish or seaweed) as primary ingredients, and are ready to be served or eaten with any needed preparation or cooking completed. Many fish or ...
*
Stuffed clam
Stuffed clams (or stuffies) are popular in New England, especially in Rhode Island, and consist of a breadcrumb and minced clam mixture that is baked on the half shell of a quahog hard shell clam. Other ingredients typically found in the basic bre ...
References
External links
*
{{Cuisine of New England
New England cuisine
Massachusetts cuisine
Rhode Island cuisine
Clam dishes
Deep fried foods
American seafood dishes