Fresh Fried Clams Recipes

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 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 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!

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.

FRIED RAZOR CLAMS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• In a bowl, mix crushed crackers with black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Place eggs in a separate bowl. Dip clams into eggs, then into cracker mixture to evenly coat.
• Fry clams in the hot oil until golden brown. Do not over cook.

AIR FRYER FRIED CLAMS

Steps:

• Start by preheating your air fryer. Simply turn it on for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F (air fryer setting)
• Add the clam strips in a single layer
• Set the timer for 5 minutes.
• Check and make sure they are fully cooked before removing them. If they are not cooked, add another 2-4 minutes.
• Plate, serve, and enjoy!

FRESH FRIED CLAMS

Steps:

• Mix the cream with the red-pepper sauce and set aside. Combine the cornmeal with the flour and set aside.
• Dip the clams into the cream mixture. Remove them and dredge through the cornmeal mixture.
• Heat the oil and butter until hot, then add the clams. Cook for two to three minutes before flipping them over and cook for another one and a half minutes. Remove the clams and place them on a paper towel to drain. Add three tablespoons of the reserved clam liquid to the tartar sauce. Serve the clams, while hot, with the tartar sauce.

FRIED CLAM STRIPS RECIPE (FRIENDLY'S COPYCAT)

Steps:

• Start by heating the canola oil in a pot over moderate heat until it reaches 380 degrees F.
• While the oil is being heated, rinse and drain the clam strips in a colander.
• Stir the clam strips together with buttermilk in a large bowl.
• Drain the clam strips well in a colander. Let them set over a bowl for at least 5 minutes.
• In another bowl stir together the cornstarch, cornmeal, flour, curry powder, celery salt, cayenne, and salt.
• Dredge a handful of drained clams in the flour mixture then shake in a large sieve to remove excess flour.
• Transfer the clams one by one in a baking sheet and then shake them again to remove any excess flour mixture.
• Fry the coated clams until they're crisp and golden for about 1 ½ minutes. Then, transfer them onto some paper towels with a slotted spoon for draining. Afterward, sprinkle them with salt to taste.
• Serve with some potato fries and your desired dipping sauce, and enjoy!

NORTHWEST PAN-FRIED RAZON CLAM RECIPE:

Steps:

• Crush the crackers with a rolling pin. Do not use a food processor which will spin the cracker too fine. Place the prepared crumbs in a shallow platter: set aside.
• In a shallow platter, beat the eggs together. Beat in the milk and Tabasco sauce: set aside.
• Dry the clams thoroughly with a paper towel. NOTE: If you proceed without the clams being dry, breading will not adhere to the clams well, and wet clams steaks will result in LOTS of splattering of the hot oil.
• Tenderize clams by pounding with the textured side of a meat mallet - pay particular attention to the tough siphon end. NOTE: Be careful, as you want the clams to remain in one piece.
• Dip each clam in the egg mixture; drain off any excess. Then place each clam in the crumbs to coat. Place breaded clam on a rack or plate; repeat process with remaining clams. Let clams stand for 20 to 30 minutes so the breading will set up.
• While the clams are resting, heat the vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan (cast-iron pan is ideal) over medium-high heat. Add the butter. Heat the oil (but not so hot as to smoke).
• Give the oil plenty of time to heat up and make sure it is at the right temperature before you begin. If it is too cool, the clams will soak up oil and be greasy. If it is too hot, the clams will burn on the outside before the inside is cooked. Most foods are fried at 350 degrees F. To gauge the temperature, use a Cooking Thermometer or drop a cube of bread in the oil. If it turns golden brown in 1 minute, the oil is ready to fry in.
• When the oil is hot, use tongs or a spatula to carefully add the clams. Do not crowd the clams. Fry for not more than 30 seconds, then flip the clams for continue cooking for an additional 30 second on the other side. NOTE: It is important not to overcook the clams or they will be tough.
• Allow the oil to heat back up in between each round of cooking your clams.
• Remove the clams from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel lined plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Repeat until all clams are cooked and serve as soon as possible while warm. Serve with lemon slices and your favorite Cocktail Sauce or Tartar Sauce.
• Makes 4 to 6 servings.
• Place the flour in a pie pan and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs in a second pie pan and place the Panko crumbs in a third pie pan.
• Dry the clams thoroughly with a paper towel. NOTE: If you proceed without the clams being dry, breading will not adhere to the clams well, and wet clams steaks will result in LOTS of splattering of the hot oil.
• Tenderize clams by pounding with the textured side of a meat mallet - pay particular attention to the tough siphon end. NOTE: Be careful, as you want the clams to remain in one piece.
• Dredge a clam in the flour mixture, dip in beaten egg, then coat both sides with Panko crumbs. Place breaded clam on a rack or plate; repeat process with remaining clams. Let clams stand for 20 to 30 minutes for the breading set up.
• While the clams are resting, heat the vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan cast-iron pan is ideal) over medium-high heat. Add the butter. Heat the oil (but not so hot as to smoke).
• When the oil is hot, use tongs or a spatula to carefully add the clams. Do not crowd the clams. Fry for not more than 30 seconds, then flip the clams for continue cooking for an additional 30 second on the other side. NOTE: It is important not to overcook the clams or they will be tough.
• Allow the oil to heat back up in between each round of cooking your clams.
• Remove the clams from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat until all clams are cooked and serve as soon as possible while warm. Serve Pan-Fried Razor Clams with lemon slices and your favorite Cocktail Sauce or Tartar Sauce.
• Makes 3 to 4 servings.