Fried Clams

[Fat Guy]

"To not understand that fried oysters taste better than fried clams is to not understand oysters and clams."

[ahr]

Your split-infinitive goad is likewise declined.

[Fat Guy]

In passive voice, no less.

[Toby]

I asked Rick L., the chef at Ilo (and former chef at the River Cafe), how he'd done his fried Ipswich clams when he was at the Cafe. He told me he'd soaked them in milk, and then dredged them in a mix that included johnnycake meal. (There's a similar recipe in Jasper White's Cooking from New England.) Rick served them with aioli, and they were wonderful. The clams haven't been on the menu at Ilo, but as we were talking about them, he got very enthusiastic and said he was going to call his suppliers in New England and try to have them on the menu within a week.

Larry Forgione has a recipe for Ipsich clams in his cookbook, An American Place, and there's a recipe for Gage & Tollner's clam bellies, both fried and broiled, in Molly O'Neill's New York Cookbook.

[Sandra Levine]

London Lennie's, in Queens, has both fried clams and oysters on its menu.

[ahr]

FG, in some previous life I must have written for Time Magazine in its heyday.

[Fat Guy]

AHR, I had the fried clams at Fresh today. I've never had better. Too bad there were only a handful of them in the overpriced order. They're served in an open Chinese-food-takeout container, the old-style cardboard type, of the smallest size. Most of what's in there is wax paper, but there are a few fried Ipswich clams (labeled Woodman's of Ipswich on the menu) in there as well and they're good.

[ahr]

FG, Woodman's isn't my favorite brand name (so, AHR, write up your New England trip already), but fried clams as good as you've ever had demand attention. Will Fresh do them take-out, or is this the wrong thread for that question?

I won't ask how they compared to the best fried oysters you've ever had.

[Fat Guy]

Well, they're already in a takeout container, so I suppose even if they refused to do it you could order them, close the lid, leave some cash and run.

[ahr]

Most of what's in there is wax paper, but there are a few fried Ipswich clams (labeled Woodman's of Ipswich on the menu) in there as well and they're good.

If the menu said "Woodman's of Ipswich," then the Fresh marketing boys have taken some liberties with geography in order to combine two names associated with clams. I wonder whether the Woodman's folks know.

[Fat Guy]

Just to confirm: The menu does indeed say "Woodman's of Ipswich," so it's either a typo and they meant to say "Woodman's of Essex Ipswich clams" or it's some sort of odd attempt at cleverness. If you saw any early Fresh menus ("Absence of Refinement," "Panacea") you'd know that this isn't beyond the realm of possibility!

[friedclams]

Fried Clams, true Ipswich-type, properly prepared and pricey are today's populist caviar... harvest tonnage is getting lower, restaurant prices are getting higher, portions seem smaller and smaller... a true devotee will seek out the best and laud the accomplishments of the best shacks and restaurants to others (as AHR attempts)....

seldom found on a menu except in specific NE locales, those of us out of the general region (myself being land locked in Dallas Texas) always crave those tender sweet morsels but rarely if ever find them... instead we are bombarded with inferior oysters, poorly prepared... to generalize as Fat Guy does is WRONG.... fried oysters ARE NEVER as sweet and tasty as fried Ipswich clams even on the worst soft fried clam day in the worst clam shack on earth.

I gave up the daily availability of soft fried clams (having lived just north of Bridgeport CT) for the daily (hourly) availability of much better than average to excellent BBQ (pork, brisket, ribs, etc.) here in Texas.... there doesn't seem to be a compromise location on Earth where both excellent fried clams and excellent BBQ can be found...

here is my challenge to the eG community....

WHERE (within 25 miles of eachother) on Earth can both items be found, be of high quality properly prepared and served at reasonable price ????

we might throw in the availability of fresh large lobsters too and aged prime rib, but I digress....

I'd consider relocation immediately or several extended-stay trips .....

does anyone accept the challenge??

[Fat Guy]

I'm not sure you're allowed to vote for yourself.

[ahr]

FC (not to be confused with FG), the Sterns would say... Connecticut.

[friedclams]

anyone in the Dallas area wanna split a restaurant sized 8qt bucket of shucked Ipswich soft clams???

they B ready 4 self-frying ....

Central Market's fish dept will import them 4me from their supplier @ approx $160 for "selects" which are assumed 2B better/larger than the normal bucket approx $145...

ps... does anyone know the current status of the harvest??? last I heard prices were up because fishing limits were being imposed???

pps... anyone locally ready wanna get together 4 a backyard clam fry and bbq chowdown??

[Biscotti]

I was at The Harrison on Saturday night and had the fried clams appetizer (strips only). They are served with fried lemon slices and cilantro (I think)and I thought they were excellent. Not at all greasy.

Anyway, here is another place to have fried clams if you weren't aware.

[Fat Guy]

Oyster Bar – Soggy crust, tired clams

I was there last night and can give heartfelt confirmation of this observation. The fried clams were unacceptable, both as product and in their preparation. Actually the whole meal was quite poor, but the clams were the worst thing we ate.

[Curlz]

I don't even know if it's possible to BUMP from an '02 thread, but I'm going to give it a try, simply because a shout-out for Bigelow's Seafood needs to be made again (it's early upthread). I was out on the south shore of LI for the better part of this past Sunday and did some research ahead of time, as my chef pal needed fried seafood. Thanks to a mention elsewhere and some serious research on my part, I found this article by Ed Levine, and knew we had to go to Bigelow's. VERY happy we did, too!

This is a perfect place for a meal on the go, as long as you're not going running afterwards! Total roadside clam shack ambiance, and it's all about the food. I can't eat mollusks, but my friend certainly knows his way around a clam, and he declared them almost as good as the Clam Shack in Maine, which is his favorite place for fried clams. He had a platter of (Ipswich) clams and fried scallops, I had the fried calamari, and truly some of the best (battered, not breaded) onion rings I've ever eaten. The cole slaw was also outstanding; sweet, just creamy enough, crunchy, and very, VERY fresh. After tasting his, I ordered a side of it. Fries were just okay--stick to the onion rings, imo! The place has been around for 60+ years, and a search shows their web site is still in production. Just go if you're looking for a nice ride out of the city (and then go to the beach!) and enjoy--preferably before the summer traffic hits.

Bigelow's Seafood

79 North Long Beach Road

Rockville Center LI

(516) 678-3878

P.S. For dessert (after walking off those clams at the beach), go to Itgen’s ice cream parlor--just for the hot fudge. And the house-whipped cream. I promise you won't be disappointed in it! (ice cream optional, imo)

Walt Itgen's Ice Cream Parlour

211 Rockaway Ave.

Valley Stream, NY 11580

516-825-7444