Rhode Island Clam Cakes

[Chris Amirault]

Rhode Island Clam Cakes

Serves 6 as Side.

Rhode Island clam cakes aren't cakes. They aren't like crab cakes, either. They're savory fritters, sort of like hushpuppies with chopped clams, intended to be served as the primary side for clam chowder in the Biggest Little State in the Union, Rhode Island. They're also seriously addictive no matter where you live.

This recipe uses quahogs (KOH-hogs), the titanic east coast clam that is steamed, chopped, and served in chowder, stuffies, and clam cakes. You can substitute cherrystones, if you'd like, but the sweetness of littlenecks is wasted here. And don't use steamers, please. Really. Trust me.

Once you've got your batter down, you can fiddle with it a bit (bacon, scallions, corn kernels). But don't get all nouvelle. These are meant to be salty, greasy, hearty explosions of slightly briny, slightly corny crunch, with nuggets of chewy clam in each bite.

This recipe is adapted from two excellent cookbooks: Jane and Michael Stern's 1986 Real American Food and Jasper White's Cooking from New England (1989).

• 5 lb quahogs or cherrystones in the shell
  
• 2 tsp baking powder
  
• 2 c AP flour
  
• 1 c johnnycake or corn meal
  
• 3 eggs, beaten
  
• 1 c milk
  
• 4 T butter, lard, or bacon fat, melted
  
• salt
  
• pepper
  
• corn or peanut oil for deep frying
  

1. Steam the clams in a scant cup of water just until they open. Chop the clam meat roughly, salt and pepper it liberally, and set it aside. Strain the clam juice (the steaming water) through a wet paper towel or cheesecloth and set it aside, too.

2. Combine the dry ingredients well; combine the eggs, milk, 1/2 c of the clam juice (save the rest just in case), and melted fat well. Pour the wet into the dry and combine until smooth, then fold in the chopped clams.

3. Put the batter into the fridge for an hour or so; you want to soften up that corn meal. Meanwhile, heat a couple of inches of the oil to 375F in a deep fat fryer, cast iron skillet, or dutch oven. When you take out the batter, it should be thicker than pancake batter but not so thick that it won't fall easily from your spoon. If it's too thick, just add a bit of the clam juice.

4. Drop, ever so carefully, the batter into the oil, one heaping tablespoon at a time. Don't crowd them; you want that oil to surround the cakes comfortably. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the clam cakes are golden brown. Serve immediately while hot with chowder.

Keywords: Side, Appetizer, Seafood, Intermediate, American, Deep Fryer

( RG1656 )