Fried Clams

[ahr]

Seeking fried whole-belly soft clams, in or near NYC, similar in quality and style to those taken quite for granted on the Massachusetts North Shore and a few places along the Maine coast. Clams strips, cherrystones, and similar imposters need not apply. Informal, eat-in-the rough atmosphere is preferable, but sit-down is tolerable if the clams warrant.

Some quick observations:

Bigelow’s – Genuine Ipswich piss clams, properly prepared, in an old, funky, lunch-counterish place. Consistently good. In Rockville Centre, about 20 miles east of Midtown.

Forgione’s current restaurant(s)? – The man frequently serves them, albeit not informally. What’s he up to now?

Fresh – Fancy, expensive, reputed to fry clams. Not promising per Plotnicki, Brown posts.

Gage & Tollner – The real deal according to Jason, served a bit preciously. Far from a shack.

Johnny’s Reef – Eat-in-the-rough by the water, but disqualified for serving strips. Ditto for its competitor across the street.

Lundy’s – Nary a clam found in a single sample of mixed fried platter. Clams no longer on menu separately. Used to be great.

Mary’s Fish Camp – Good, but not quite soulful; perhaps too tender and delicate. Served in combo app with fried oysters. Tried once, and worth another. Sit-down but informal. Infernally crowded.

Oyster Bar – Soggy crust, tired clams the last two times, most recently a year ago. Not fancy, but not a shack.

River Café – Fried some clams a year or two ago (per Ipswich Shellfish, a major high-quality supplier), but not as of last month.

Member input, please?

Edit: Added link to tantalizing photo.

[Wilfrid]

Hmm. Having eaten some good and some poor versions out of state, recently, I was hoping you'd know the answer to this question, ahr. Let's hope someone does.

[ahr]

Bigelow's are top-notch if you don't mind a short journey by car or LIRR -- not for everyday consumption, certainly, but maybe that's a good thing.

[Fat Guy]

AHR, I've hears some glowing reports about this place in Westbrook, CT:

http://www.billsseafood.com/

It's an institution, close to New Haven and also two excellent outlet malls.

[Jason Perlow]

Legal Seafood in the Palisades Center Mall off 287 and in the Garden State Plaza does really good fried Ipswitches. Not a shack, but not rediculously expensive either.

[ahr]

Are we extending our search to far-off Connecticut and the wrong of the Husdon? If so, I feel obliged to mention:

Lenny & Joe's -- Good, but not nearly equal to Cape Ann or Bigelow's; a little oily and soggy the last time I tried. Self-service in Madison, informal sit-down in Westbrook.

Clam Castle -- OK, but not great. I recall the coating being too thin and the clams overcooked, but it's been years. I may also once have gotten a bad clam there. A old-fashioned shack with some indoor service, just across from Lenny & Joe's in Madison.

FG, thanks for Bill's. I've passed it a number of times but never stopped in. Now I shall.

Jason, thanks for Legal. An old friend who occasionally posts as "friedclams" likes them a great deal. According to their web site, Legal has restaurants in Paramus, West Nyack, and Huntington.

Finally, just for completeness, here's a link to the Sterns' Roadfood, which launched my clam-chasing career too many years ago.

[Fat Guy]

AHR, have you ever tried to cook them at home? I bet you could outperform any of these places with just a tiny bit of practice.

[ahr]

As much as I love fried food, I haven't fried at home, at least not recently. A friend and I had an unfortunate experience with frying supermarket clams when we were teenagers (bad clams); another time, I tried clam fondue (insufficient thermal mass).

For those who want to try, however, and don't feel like finding and shucking steamers, here's a link to Ipswich Shellfish's clam-frying kit, which includes the Clam Box's coating.

[Suzanne F]

Right, ahr. When I worked there in 1999, Larry Forgione did have "Crisp Ipswich Clams with basil tartar sauce" on the menu at An American Place (in its 3rd location, Lexington and 50th). Does he still? Dunno.

[Fat Guy]

May I ask, also, why Ipswich clams are favored for frying? Aren't they, like, the lowest form of clam? Wouldn't it make more sense to use something flavorful, like Manila? Or is this a situation where a variety that tastes crummy straight from the sea happens to be the best ingredient for another application?

[Suzanne F]

Maybe it's the concept of "branding?" If you push a brand enough, people will believe it's good. "Angus beef" comes to mind; not that it's inferior, just that it's an example of making a brandname where one never existed before in order to differentiate the product from all the others.

As for Manilas, yeah, they're delicious, but man, they're tiny! Who would want to shuck a gallon of those?!?!?!?

[Toby]

Does Ilo (not a shack) serve them? Their chef was at River Cafe before moving to Ilo -- the ones at River Cafe were wonderful; have they really taken them off the menu? Might any of the other restaurants owned by River Cafe's owner have them?

[Fat Guy]

The Bryant Park Hotel site

http://www.bryantparkhotel.com/

has Ilo menus but the links seem to be dead at this time.

[Suzanne F]

I checked Ilo's own site, but the menues don't list any kind of fried clams. Neither do they have the Tidal Pool. They do, however, still have the excellent ragôut of grilled octopus and manila clams.

[ahr]

May I ask, also, why Ipswich clams are favored for frying? Aren't they, like, the lowest form of clam? Wouldn't it make more sense to use something flavorful, like Manila? Or is this a situation where a variety that tastes crummy straight from the sea happens to be the best ingredient for another application?

Soft clams are also generally used for steamers, so there must be something about the way they react to prolonged exposure to heat, or maybe their soft stuff/hard stuff ratio. I once had fried cherrystones, and found them rubbery, simply awful. Similarly, isn't your favorite part of baked (hard) clams the piece of bacon on top, then the oiled, seasoned bread crumbs, then any clam juice, and only last the poor toughened clam itself?

[Fat Guy]

Cherrystones would be a bad idea for frying because they give off so much liquid, but I bet Manilas would be superb. Razor clams too. I mean, the thing with the Ipswich clams is that you may as well be eating fried tofu for all the clam flavor they actually have. I'll do some experiments next month, maybe.

[ahr]

I mean, the thing with the Ipswich clams is that you may as well be eating fried tofu for all the clam flavor they actually have.

Them thar's fightin' words. The best ones have a sweet, almost gamy flavor. Experimentation and/or a road trip would seem to be in order.

[MichaelZ]

An American Place, Lexington between 50/51 usually has fried clams on the menu for lunch or dinner, but often not both. When they do, they are very good - certainly the best in midtown.

[Blue Heron]

but I bet Manilas would be superb. Razor clams too.

Yes, razor clams are really yummy fried. I just fixed some over the weekend. Geoduck clam strips (pounded and breaded) are also really good fried. I love fried clams and know I would also love your New England fried whole belly clams, too.

[Fat Guy]

Nice clam variety overview from Wine Spectator; unfortunately doesn't cover issues of flavor very well, though:

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Archives...75,2802,00.html

[Fat Guy]

I mean, the thing with the Ipswich clams is that you may as well be eating fried tofu for all the clam flavor they actually have.

Them thar's fightin' words.

No, these are fighting words:

Fried oysters kick the ass of fried clams any day.

[jaybee]

What about Mary's Fish Shack or Pearls Oyster Bar in the village? Both menus list fried clams and both make claims to be high level places, modeled after Swan's Oyster Depot in SF.

[Jason Perlow]

I mean, the thing with the Ipswich clams is that you may as well be eating fried tofu for all the clam flavor they actually have.

Them thar's fightin' words.

No, these are fighting words:

Fried oysters kick the ass of fried clams any day.

They had fried oysters at Gage and Tollner, but we decided to order them pan seared in the cream sauce instead. I bet they are good there fried, though.

[Fat Guy]

You haven't lived until you've had cornmeal-crusted oysters at Blue Ribbon after 2am. Oh, and the ones at the Post House are amazing, each served on a house-made potato chip with coleslaw. And tempura kumomoto oysters at Nobu, oh, don't get me started -- It'll cost me too much to satisfy the cravings this discussion will generate if you start a thread on it.

[ahr]

No, these are fighting words:

Fried oysters kick the ass of fried clams any day.

FG, haven't we found that eG theological disputes always end badly? Put away your glove; I decline.