Fried clams are made by deep frying

Deep frying

Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot oil or fat. This is normally performed with a deep fryer or chip pan; industrially, a pressure fryer or vacuum fryer may be used....

 soft-shell clam

Soft-shell clam

Soft-shell clams, scientific name Mya arenaria, popularly called "steamers", "softshells", "longnecks", "piss clams", "Ipswich clams", or "Essex clams" are a species of edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Myidae....

s that have been dipped in batter.

Fried clams are an iconic food, "to New England what barbecue is to the South". They tend to be served at seaside clam shacks (roadside restaurants). For a lighter meal, a clam roll is made by piling clams into a hot dog bun

Hot dog bun

A hot dog bun is a type of soft bun shaped specifically to contain a hot dog. The original purpose of this bun was to make it possible to eat hot dogs without burning ones hands....

. Tartar sauce

Tartar sauce

Tartare sauce is a creamy white sauce frequently used to season fried seafood dishes.-Composition:...

 is the usual condiment.

Preparation

The clams are dipped in evaporated milk

Evaporated milk

Evaporated milk, also known as dehydrated milk, is a shelf-stable canned milk product with about 60% of the water removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk, which contains added sugar. Sweetened condensed milk requires less processing since the added sugar inhibits ...

, and coated with a combination of regular, corn, and/or pastry flour. Then the coated clams are fried in canola oil or soybean oil

Soybean oil

Soybean oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the soybean . It is one of the most widely consumed cooking oils. As a drying oil, processed soybean oil is also used as a base for printing inks and oil paints...

, or lard

Lard

Lard is pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms. Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a cooking fat or shortening, or as a spread similar to butter. Its use in contemporary cuisine has diminished because of health concerns posed by its saturated-fat content and its often negative...

. They can be "clam strips" (sliced parts of hard-shell clams) or "clams with bellies" (whole soft-shell clams). Clams with bellies have the clam's gastrointestinal tract left intact and impart a fuller flavor. However, some restaurants remove the clam's chewy siphon, called the neck.

History

Fried clams have been served since at least 1865, and most likely earlier, as they have been found on an 1865 menu from the Parker House hotel restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts. It is not known if the clams were deep fried, or if they were batter dipped. The same 1865 menu offers "oysters fried" and "oysters fried in batter".

Legend has it that the modern deep-fried, batter-dipped version was credited to Lawrence Henry "Chubby" Woodman

Lawrence Woodman

Lawrence "Chubby" Woodman was an entrepreneur and restaurant owner who legend has it invented the Ipswich fried clam. He opened Woodman's of Essex, first as a clam shack, with his wife Bessie on Main Street in Essex, Massachusetts and sold freshly dug steamer clams as well as ice cream and homemade...

 from Essex, Massachusetts

Essex, Massachusetts

Essex is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, north of Boston. The population was 3,504 at the 2010 census.Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Essex.- History :...

. He is said to have created the first batch on July 3, 1916 in his small roadside restaurant, now Woodman's of Essex

Woodman's of Essex

Woodman’s of Essex is a seafood restaurant in Essex, Massachusetts . A local favorite, it is also known internationally for its fried clams and New England clam bakes...

. One of his specialties was homemade potato chips, so he had large vats for deep-frying foods. He used the clams, which he had collected himself from the mud flats of the Essex River located close to his home.

Later, Thomas Soffron, of Soffron Brothers Clam Co., based in Ipswich, Massachusetts

Ipswich, Massachusetts

Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,987 at the 2000 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island...

, created clam strips, which are made from the "foot" of hard-shelled sea clams. He sold these to Howard Johnson's

Howard Johnson's

Howard Johnson's is a chain of hotels and restaurants, located primarily throughout the United States and Canada. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Howard Johnson's was the largest restaurant chain in the United States, with over 1,000 restaurants...

 in an exclusive deal, and as the chain expanded, they became popular throughout the country.

Health and dietary considerations

Clams in themselves are low in cholesterol

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a complex isoprenoid. Specifically, it is a waxy steroid of fat that is produced in the liver or intestines. It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes...

 and fat, but fried clams absorb cooking fat.

See also

• Clams casino
  Clams casino
  Clams casino is a clam "on the halfshell" dish with breadcrumbs and bacon. It originated in Rhode Island in the United States. It is often served as an appetizer in New England and is served in variations nationally.-Ingredients:...
  
  
• Steamed clams
  Steamed clams
  Steamed clams is a seafood dish consisting of various types and preparations of clam that steamed according to local custom in various countries....
  
  
• Clam cake
• Clams oreganata
  Clams Oreganata
  Clams Oreganata is an Italian seafood dish served most commonly as an appetizer. The dish consists of a number of clams that are topped with bread crumbs and baked. Lemons are often included so that the orderer may squeeze the lemon juice onto the clams. The name comes from the addition of...
  
  
• New England clam bake
  New England clam bake
  The New England clam bake is a traditional method of cooking foods, especially seafood such as lobster, mussels, crabs, steamers, and quahogs. The seafood is often supplemented by sausages, potatoes, onions, carrots, corn on the cob, etc...