Cleaning Clams With Cornmeal' title='Cleaning Clams With Cornmeal' />Food The DeepFried Truth About Ipswich Clams No matter the source of the harvest, the secret to a classic seaside meal may be the mud. If youre looking for easy meal ideas or impressive appetizers and starters, clams and mussels fit the bill perfectly. Beginner cooks can prepare these. Clam Shack Style Fried Clams Recipe. This clam shack style fried clams recipe tells you exactly how to make fried clams. Whole belly ones, natch, which are the best. And its so ridiculously easy. Ive made no secret of my absolute addiction to fried clamsespecially clam shack style fried clams with big, luscious, profane whole bellies. I remember going as a kid to Macrays, a local clam shack in Westport, MA., several Sundays during the summer. There my parents, grandparents, godparents, cousins, and I dove into pints of deep fried oceanic goodness. Banquet Information Guest capacity Small room 50 Great room 75 Combined second floor 125 Room availability Tuesday Thursday 430 930. To clean the clams, rinse them and place in a large bowl with cold water and the cornmeal or flour. The live clams open to ingest the corneal, thereby releasing any. When cooking clams at home, be sure to clean them well no grit. These instructions and video teach you how to clean clams easily and well. Cherrystone clams are mediumlarge hard clams that are traditionally served raw but can also be steamed. There are many different recipes that use cherrystone clams. My only regret as I tapped the last bits of crumbs from the greasy red striped box into my mouth was that we couldnt make them at home its near impossible to shuck steamer clams. Trust me, Ive tried. That little snag meant this treat would be relegated to the hot, steamy days of a New England summer. Even after I wrote my paean to the almighty mollusk, I still was stymied I couldnt find a source for shucked big bellied clams. But recently I stumbled upon Diggers Seafood. It offers all kinds of fresh, never frozen seafood, including my beloved shucked whole belly clams. Editors Note For a while, Diggers no longer sold clams to the public. But were happy to hear they have clams for sale again. Lobsters. com, which one of our readers recommend, also sells clams. An Ode to Summer Shack Fried Clams. Skeptical, I ordered a one pound packet that was delivered to my door within 2. What makes Diggers clams so special is theyre professionally shucked the emergency room savings alone is worth the steep price and shipped to order. When I cracked opened the container, it smelled like a sweet, salty sea breeze. It took all I had not to eat the clams in all their raw, slippery glory. But, of course, the proof is in the fryer. And these delivered. Mightily. With my near forty year search over, I am now able to have fried clams year round, miles from the nearest boardwalk but only a cast iron pot away from my childhood. When I made this recipe, adapted from the great Jasper White, I was tempted to doctor up the coating mix with all kinds of herbs and spices. Yes, for a moment I thought of myself as the Colonel  Sanders of Seafood. The secret to fried clams, says Chickie Aggelakis, owner of The Clam Box in Ipswich, Mass., is the flavor of the clams. The coating and its crunch protect the tender belly meat. Mucking it up with spiceswhich is hard to resistshould be avoided at all costs. This recipe has been updated. Originally published July 1. David Leite. Special Equipment Deep fry or candy or instant read thermometer or an electric deep fryer, a Chinese wire mesh skimmer or a pasta basket, a pair of tongs. Quick Glance 2. 5 M 2. MServes 4. Ingredients. For the New England style fry mix. For the clams. 1 12poundsof shucked whole belly steamer clams. About 6cupspeanut, canola, or other vegetable oil, for deep frying. New England Style Fry Mix aboveDirections. Make the New England style fry mix. Combine the flours, salt, and both peppers in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Youll have more than you need for this recipe, so whatever is left over you can store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for several weeks or more. Fry the clams. 2. In many cases, you will be frying in batches to avoid the problems that can happen if you overcrowd your fryer. In anticipation of this, line a baking sheet with paper towels and preheat the oven to 2. F 1. 21C. 3. Heat 3 inches of oil to 3. F in a 4 to 5 quart Dutch oven over medium heat or in a deep fryer. While the oil is heating, pour the buttermilk into a large bowl, and put the fry mix in another. Drop the clams into the buttermilk and stir gently. Using a Chinese wire mesh skimmer or a slotted spoon, carefully lift up a small batch in this case, about half of the clams youre frying, allowing the excess buttermilk to drip back into bowl, then drop the clams into the fry mix and gently toss it to coat evenly with the mix. Quickly dry off the skimmer. When the oil is hot, lift the food out of the fry mix with the skimmer, gently shake off the excess, and drop it carefully into the oil. Try to spread the food out in the pot so there is less chance of the pieces sticking to each other. The first few moments are crucial let the seafood cook for 1. Then stir the clams so that they cook evenly, 1 to 1 12 minutes more. This also helps to loosen any pieces that might have stuck together. If anything sticks to the bottom of the pot, loosen it with tongs. Stay right there at the fryer, moving the seafood occasionally so it cooks evenly. Transfer the first batch of clams from the hot oil to the paper towellined baking sheet to drain. You can keep the clams warm in the oven while you fry the second batch, but with clams or oysters, you should consider serving them as soon as they have drained. Because they are whole creatures with wet innards, they tend to lose their crunch faster than shrimp, scallops, and other seafood. Set the food on a plate or platter and send it to the table with lemon wedges and parsley sprigsand fries arent out of the question. Ed. note A side of salad, as in the picture, is hardly traditional, but it makes for a pretty plate, right A nice casual, and very appropriate, touch when serving fried foods is to serve it on deli paper or butchers paper. We serve most of our fried foods on colorful deli paper printed with our logothe paper isnt really intended to soak up excess oil, its more to show off how greasy it isnt. What Is Corn Flour And Where Do I Find It Corn flour is essentially very finely milled cornmeal made from the entire kernel of cornthe germ, the bran, and the endosperm. Corn mealwhether coarsely ground, medium grind, or finely groundis not an acceptable substitute due to the textural difference. However, masa harina, which you can find in the Latin section of most supermarkets, is a perfectly fine swap. A caution to our friends the Brits and Aussies and Canadians. We understand that in your corners of the world, corn flour, or rather cornflour, is synonymous with cornstarch, but thats not what were talking about here. Cornstarch is ground from only the endosperm of the corn and makes a lousy coating for fried clams. Trust us. Hungry for more Chow down on these Clam Shack Style Fried Clams Recipe 2. Jasper White. Photo 2. David Leite. All rights reserved. Hey, there. Just a reminder that all our content is copyright protected. Like a photo Please dont use it without our written permission. Like a recipe Kindly contact the publisher listed above for permission before you post it thats what we did and rewrite it in your own words. Thats the law, kids. And dont forget to link back to this page, where you found it. Fresh Clams Preparation and Cooking Tips. Clams are a delicious seafood, but cooking them at home can be a little intimidating at first. Youll want to know how to prepare fresh clams, discover the secrets to shucking them, and learn how to properly cook these mollusks so they dont end up tasting like shoe leather. Its really not as difficult as it sounds. Well guide you through everything you need to know about cooking fresh clams and share recipes for some of our favorite clam dishes. How to Prepare Fresh Clams. The first step you need to take is to scrub the outside of the clams thoroughly with a stiff brush. Since clams naturally burrow in the sand, they need to be purged of grit. Crunching down on grains of sand will certainly diminish your enjoyment of this flavorful seafood. To remove the sand before cooking, cover the clams with salt water a mixture of 13 cup salt to 1 gallon of water. Let this sit for several hours. Adding 14 to 12 cup of cornmeal helps expel the dark matter and sand from the clams stomachs and also whitens the meat. If you are shucking your own, the shells will be easier to open if you freeze them for 1. Remove the clams from the freezer and let them sit for a few minutes before attacking the shells. As they warm up, the muscles relax and the shells will open slightly so you can get your clam knife inside. Remember to shuck over a bowl to save all that wonderful juice, which is known as clam liquor. You may also want to remove the tough skin covering the neck of longneck clams. Slit the skin lengthwise and remove it. You can ground the skin and add it to chowder or creamed clam dishes. Clam Cooking Tips and Hints. Once your clams are cleaned, youre ready to eat or cook them. The smallest clams are the most desirable for eating raw and the larger they get, the tougher the meat will be. If youre going to eat unshucked clams raw, be sure to serve them cold so the shells are easier to open. The clam juice that you save while shucking can be poured on top of the open clams. Many people prefer to squeeze fresh lemon juice and add a dash of Tabasco sauce as well. If you like, serve cocktail sauce and horseradish as additional condiments. Cooking clams can be tricky, but its quick and not a difficult task. Whole clams have finished cooking when the shell opens. If the shell does not open after cooking, discard the clam. This tells you that it was not alive and that it may be contaminated with bacteria or toxins this also applies to other bivalve mollusks like oysters and mussels. Do not overcook clams or it will be like eating shoe leather. Add them to the heat at the last minute and cook gently over a low heat. Baked Tomatoes With Cheese. The longer that clams are on heat, the tougher the meat will become. When youre making white chowder, take a tip from professional chefs. To get tender clams, soak the clams in milk or cream whichever is specified in the recipe and add them last along with the cream. Cook only until heated through and do not boil. Larger clam shells can be boiled and scrubbed to use as unique serving pieces. Selecting and Storing Clams. As with most types of seafood, its important that you know some basic facts about clams. For instance, youll want to know how to select the best clams and properly store them when you get them home. There also many varieties of clams you can choose from. If you enjoy digging for your own clams, make sure that you know how to avoid paralytic shellfish poisoning PSP. This is a potentially fatal marine biotoxin one clam is all it takes that is present on both coasts of the United States. While commercially sold clams and seafood are inspected, you need to take proper safety precautions before clamming on your own. Favorite Clam Recipes. Signature clam dishes include New England clam chowder and Manhattan clam chowder. These are perfect recipes for those large clams you didnt want to eat raw and great comfort food on colder nights. Fried clam fritters also known as fannie daddies and boat steerers and clams casino with tempting ingredients like bacon, butter, and red bell pepper are two more American favorites. When youre in the mood for a seafood stew, try cioppino, which originated in San Francisco. A recipe of Italian American heritage is clams posillipo in which clams and other seafood are cooked with garlic, red peppers, tomatoes, and seasoning. Keep in mind that clams may be substituted in most oyster, scallop, and mussel recipes, and vice versa. Youll want to understand how to adjust recipes and brush up on clam measurements, equivalents, and substitutions. This should open up a great variety of cooking options with your new found knowledge of preparing clams. If you find that you cannot get enough clam recipes and information, two books that we can recommend are The Compleat Clammer and The New England Clam Shack Cookbook.