Deep Fried Clams Recipes

DEEP-FRIED CLAMS OR SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Thaw scallops, if frozen. Prepare Spicy Cocktail Sauce or Sweet and Sour Sauce, if desired. If scallops are large, cut in half. Rinse clams or scallops; pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
• For batter, in a medium mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a small mixing bowl combine egg, 2 tablespoons cooking oil, and 3/4 cup cold water. Add to flour mixture; beat smooth.
• In a deep-fat fryer or a 2-quart saucepan heat 2 inches shortening or oil to 375 degree F (see tip below). Dip clams or scallops into batter. Fry a few at a time, until golden brown, turning once. Allow 1 to 1-1/2 minutes for clams and 2 to 2-1/2 minutes for scallops. Remove from fat and drain on paper towels. Keep fried clams or scallops warm in a 300 degree F oven while frying remaining seafood. Serve with sauce, if desired. Makes 4 servings. Spicy Cocktail Sauce
• In a 1-quart saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot butter over medium-high heat until tender but not brown, stirring often. Stir in water, tomato paste, horseradish, lemon juice,Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt, and ground red pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat, then simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes or until of desired consistency. Serve warm or chilled with seafood. Makes about 1 cup. Sweet and Sour Sauce
• In a 1-quart saucepan combine brown sugar, cornstarch, and ground ginger. Stir in pineapple juice, green pepper, vinegar, and soy sauce. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir sauce for 2 minutes more. Serve sauce warm with seafood. Makes 3/4 cup. Use a deep-fat frying thermometer to check the temperature of the fat. Place it so the bulb does not touch the pan. Carefully control the temperature of the fat by adjusting the heat.

FRIED CLAMS

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, combine 3/4 cup cornmeal and 1/4 cup flour with the water, forming a batter. In another bowl, combine the remaining cornmeal and flour., Dip clams in batter; shake off excess. Coat with cornmeal mixture., In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry clams, a few at a time, for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels; sprinkle with salt. , Serve immediately with sauce if desired.

BATTERED FRIED CLAMS

Steps:

• In a medium sized bowl mix milk, egg yolk, butter, and salt. Sift the flour into the milk mixture stir until smooth. In a small chilled bowl beat the egg white with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. (For best results: refrigerate the bowl, mixer blade and egg white prior to mixing) Fold the beaten egg white into the milk mixture.
• In a large saucepan or deep fat fryer heat oil to 375'. Poke each clam with fork. Dip clams into the batter. Fry a few at a time around 1-1/2 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Remove with slotted spoon, drain on paper towels or on brown paper bags. Keep warm in a 300' oven while frying the remaining clams.
• Serve with tartar sauce.

DEEP FRIED CLAMS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients. Preheat the deep-fryer to 375 F or heat 3 inches of peanut oil in a Dutch oven.
• Measure cracker crumbs, poultry seasoning, salt, chipotle pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and dill weed into a large zip-top bag. Toss to combine. Set aside.
• Stir the clams into the beaten eggs. Using a slotted spoon, remove a few clams at a time and place them in the bag of herbed cracker crumbs. Shake to coat, remove clams, and place on a platter. Repeat until all clams are coated.
• Fry clams in batches, about 30 seconds, until golden brown. Take care not to crowd the clams while frying. Drain on paper towels and serve hot as an appetizer or entrée.

GLUTEN-FREE FRIED CLAMS

Steps:

• Place shucked clams in a small bowl. Pour in milk; toss clams gently with a fork to cover evenly. Let soak in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Combine flour, masa harina, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper in a plastic container with a lid. Seal container and shake to blend flour mixture.
• Remove clams one at a time from the milk and place in the flour mixture; shake gently to coat. Shake off excess flour and place on a plate.
• Heat 3/4 inch oil in a large saucepan or deep-fryer. Fry clams in small batches until golden brown and crispy, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon.

NEW ENGLAND DEEP FRIED CLAMS

Steps:

• Beat egg white until stiff.
• Add milk, salt, and melted butter to egg yolk and beat together.
• Add flour and stir.
• Fold into stiffly beaten egg white.
• Drain clams and dip each into batter and fry in deep fat at 375F until golden.
• Drain on paper towels.

FRIED WHOLE BELLY CLAMS

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine all the ingredients and whisk together. Cover and refrigerate.
• We tried several methods to shuck the clams and by far, this was the easiest for us....
• Place the clams in a large bowl and rinse them several times with cold water to wash away the grit and sand on their shells. Cover the clams with fresh cold water and let them sit for 20 minutes so that they can expunge any excess grit in their siphons.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drain the clams and add them to the pot. Blanch the clams for 20 seconds, then immediately drain the water off of them. Transfer the clams to a fresh bowl filled with cold water to stop the cooking.
• Pry the shell open with your fingers (this would be impossible to do if you didn't blanch them first.) Remove the clam and locate the black protruding neck (actually a siphon that they use to filter their food).
• Go to the base of the "neck" and pull the outer layer or membrane from the clam and discard. Cut the tip of the black siphon off and discard. Transfer the shucked clam (this includes the neck, belly and strip) to a bowl of fresh water. Continue to shuck the clams in this fashion.
• Change the water several times to make sure the grit has been removed from the clams and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, corn flour (or fine cornmeal), salt and cayenne pepper and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Use another medium bowl to combine the milk, buttermilk and egg with a whisk until well blended.
• Heat 2-3 inches of peanut oil in a deep fryer to 375°. Line a baking sheet with craft paper, newspaper or brown paper bags to soak up the oil.
• Dip the clams into the egg mixture and then toss them individually in the corn flour blend to coat.
• Fry the clams in batches with no more than 8-10 clams per batch. Cook each batch for 1-2 minutes or until the clams are crispy and golden. Using a spider, transfer the clams to the paper lined baking sheet to cool. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt. Continue frying and seasoning the clams in this manner.
• Serve the clams with simple tartar sauce and a wedge of lemon. Most New England clam shacks also serve them with french fries... I used a frozen bag of Alexia fries and crisped them in a convection oven... worked great!