Fried clams are
clams dipped in milk, floured, and
deep-fried.
Fried clams are an iconic food, "to
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
, what barbecue is to the South".
[ They tend to be served at seaside clam shacks (roadside restaurants).] Clam rolls are fried clams served in a hot dog bun
A hot dog bun is a type of soft bun shaped specifically to contain a hot dog or another type of sausage.
The side-loading bun is common in most of the United States, while the top-loading New England-style hot dog bun is popular in that region ...
. They are usually served with Tartar sauce.[
]
Preparation
The clams are dipped in evaporated milk, then coated with some combination of regular, corn, and pastry flour.[ The coated clams are fried in canola oil, ]soybean oil
Soybean oil (British English: soyabean oil) is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the soybean (''Glycine max''). It is one of the most widely consumed cooking oils and the second most consumed vegetable oil. As a drying oil, processed so ...
, or lard
Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig.[Lard]
entry in the o ...
.
The usual variant in New England is made from whole soft-shell clams, known as "whole-bellies"; these include the clam's gastrointestinal tract and have a fuller flavor.[ Some restaurants remove the clam's chewy siphon called the neck.][
Outside New England, clam strips, made of sliced ]Atlantic surf clam
The Atlantic surf clam (''Spisula solidissima''), also called the bar clam, hen clam, skimmer or simply sea clam, is a very large, edible, saltwater clam or marine bivalve mollusk in the family Mactridae. It is commonly found in the western Atla ...
s, are more common.
History
Fried clams are mentioned as early as 1840, and are listed on an 1865 menu from the Parker House Parker may refer to:
Persons
* Parker (given name)
* Parker (surname)
Places Place names in the United States
*Parker, Arizona
*Parker, Colorado
* Parker, Florida
* Parker, Idaho
*Parker, Kansas
* Parker, Missouri
* Parker, North Carolina
*Parke ...
hotel. How exactly they were prepared is unclear; the 1865 menu offers both "oysters—fried" and "oysters—fried in batter", but only "fried clams".[see the Parker House menu from 1865 with fried clams and oysters to the right]
Nineteenth-century American cookbooks describe several different dishes of fried clams:
* Seasoned clams sautéed in butter. (1850)Hannah Mary Bouvier Peterson
Hannah Mary Bouvier Peterson (1811–1870) was an American author of books on science, astronomy and cookery. Most of her works were published anonymously or under her maiden name. ''Bouvier's Familiar Astronomy'' "for the use of schools, fami ...
, Martha Read, ''The National Cookbook'', 1856 (preface dated 1850)
p. 33
/ref>
* Clams breaded (with egg binding) and sautéed in butter or fat. (1850) (1904)[Charles Fellows, ''The Culinary Handbook'', Chicago, 1904]
p. 58
/ref>
* Clams in a beaten egg batter, fried in butter, called "clam fritters". (1850) (1904)
The modern deep-fried, breaded version is generally credited to Lawrence "Chubby" Woodman from Essex, Massachusetts
Essex is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, 26 miles (42 km) north of Boston and 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Newburyport. It is known for its former role as a center of shipbuilding. The population was 3,675 at the 2020 ce ...
. He is said to have created the first batch on July 3, 1916, in his small roadside restaurant, now Woodman's of Essex
Woodman's of Essex is a seafood restaurant in Essex, Massachusetts (approximately north of Boston). A local favorite, it is also known internationally for its fried clams and New England clam bakes. Woodman's has been a family business since its ...
. One of his specialties was potato chips, so he had large vats for deep-frying. He used clams he had collected himself from the mud flats of the Essex River
Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...
, located close to his home.
Later, Thomas Soffron, of Soffron Brothers Clam Co., based in Ipswich, Massachusetts
Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,785 at the 2020 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island. A reside ...
, created clam strips, which are made from the "foot" of hard-shelled sea clams. He sold these to Howard Johnson's in an exclusive deal, and as the chain expanded, they became popular throughout the country.
Health and dietary considerations
Clams in themselves are low in cholesterol
Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...
and fat, but fried clams absorb cooking fat
Cooking oil is plant, animal, or synthetic liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. It is also used in food preparation and flavoring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips, and may be called edible oil ...
.
References
{{Cuisine of New England
New England cuisine
Clam dishes
Deep fried foods