Clam cake

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Clam cake
Clam cakes.jpg
Alternative namesClam fritter
Type Seafood
Place of origin Flag of the United States.svg United States
Region or state New England
Flag of Rhode Island.svg Rhode Island

Clam cakes (also known as clam fritters) are a part of New England cuisine, most commonly found in Rhode Island although they can also be found in Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts. They are balls of battered clams which have been deep-fried. On the Maine Coast, clam cakes are formed into large, flat patties and fried.

Contents

Clam cakes are often served at take-out food outlets or other informal settings as finger food, as part of a meal consisting of several clam cakes, french fries, and cole slaw. This is often served alongside clam chowder. The cakes tend to be eaten dry, dipped in clam chowder, tartar sauce or ketchup. [1]

Clam fritters [2] are particularly popular during clamming season when clams are in abundance and it is legal during limited, specified periods for private citizens to dig their own. The surplus of clams must be used up quickly so they do not spoil. [3]

Hank Shaw described them as, "think clam beignet, or donut hole. Only savory. Crispy, golden brown on the outside, pillowy and light on the inside. Steam rises from the first bite. The slightest aroma of brine surrounds you. Tiny chunks of clam nestle themselves in the folds of the pillow, offering surprising bites of chewy meatiness as you down one of these little glories after another." [4]

Preparation

Each clam cake is a deep-fried ball-shaped mixture containing chopped clam (usually quahog) combined with various other ingredients to give it a firm, hushpuppy-like consistency once fried. [5] The batter is made from flour, milk, clam juice, eggs and a leavening agent, typically baking powder. Some recipes may include cornmeal. [6]

History

Local legend holds that clam cakes were first served at Aunt Carrie's, a seafood restaurant in Narragansett, Rhode Island in 1920. According to this legend, Carrie Cooper invented clam cakes by adding fresh clams to her corn fritter recipe, thus inventing clam fritters. [7] Clam cake recipes are actually as old as the 19th century, and are an old staple of Rhode Island banking crisis cuisine. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

Cuisine of New England Overview of the cuisine of New England

New England cuisine is an American cuisine which originated in the New England region of the United States, and traces its roots to traditional English cuisine and Native American cuisine of the Abenaki, Narragansett, Niantic, Wabanaki, Wampanoag, and other native peoples. It also includes influences from Irish, French, Italian, and Portuguese cuisine, among others. It is characterized by extensive use of potatoes, beans, dairy products and seafood, resulting from its historical reliance on its seaports and fishing industry. Corn, the major crop historically grown by Native American tribes in New England, continues to be grown in all New England states, primarily as sweet corn although flint corn is grown, too. It is traditionally used in hasty puddings, cornbreads and corn chowders.

Chowder Category of soups

Chowder is a type of soup or stew often prepared with milk or cream and thickened with broken crackers, crushed ship biscuit, or a roux. Variations of chowder can be seafood or vegetable. Crackers such as oyster crackers or saltines may accompany chowders as a side item, and cracker pieces may be dropped atop the dish. New England clam chowder is typically made with chopped clams and diced potatoes, in a mixed cream and milk base, often with a small amount of butter. Other common chowders include seafood chowder, which includes fish, clams, and many other types of shellfish; lamb or veal chowder made with barley; corn chowder, which uses corn instead of clams; a wide variety of fish chowders; and potato chowder, which is often made with cheese. Fish chowder, corn chowder, and especially clam chowder are popular in the North American regions of New England and Atlantic Canada; coastal areas of the UK and widely in New Zealand.

<i>Tempura</i> Japanese dish of battered deep-fried fish or vegetables

Tempura is a typical Japanese dish usually consisting of seafood, meat and vegetables that have been battered and deep fried. The dish was introduced by the Portuguese in Nagasaki through the fritter-cooking techniques in the 16th century. The word ‘tempura’ comes from the Latin word tempora, a term referring to these times of fasting, when the church dictated that Catholics go meatless.

Clam chowder Soup containing clams and broth or milk

Clam chowder is any of several chowder soups in American cuisine containing clams. In addition to clams, common ingredients include diced potatoes, salt pork, and onions. Other vegetables are not typically used. It is believed that clams were used in chowder because of the relative ease of harvesting them. Clam chowder is usually served with saltine crackers or small, hexagonal oyster crackers.

Fritter Fried pastry usually consisting of a portion of batter with a filling

A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables or other ingredients which have been battered or breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-fried. Fritters are prepared in both sweet and savory varieties.

Hushpuppy Deep-fried savory food made from cornmeal batter

A hush puppy is a small, savory, deep-fried round ball made from cornmeal-based batter. Hushpuppies are frequently served as a side dish with seafood and other deep-fried foods.

Hard clam Species of bivalve mollusc native to the east coast of North and Central America

The hard clam, also known as the round clam, hard-shellclam, or the quahog, is an edible marine bivalve mollusk that is native to the eastern shores of North America and Central America from Prince Edward Island to the Yucatán Peninsula. It is one of many unrelated edible bivalves that in the United States are frequently referred to simply as clams, as in the expression "clam digging". Older literature sources may use the systematic name Venus mercenaria; this species is in the family Veneridae, the venus clams.

Johnnycake American cornmeal flatbread

Johnnycake is a cornmeal flatbread, a type of batter bread. An early American staple food, it is prepared on the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to Jamaica. The food originates from the indigenous people of North America. It is still eaten in the West Indies, Dominican Republic, Saint Croix, The Bahamas, Colombia, Bermuda, Curaçao and Florida as well as in the United States and Canada.

Potato cake is a name given to various shaped potato dishes around the world, including a patty of hashed potatoes, a fried patty of mashed potato, a fried and battered slice of potato, or a flatbread made with mashed potato and flour. In some states in Australia a thin slice of potato that is battered and deep fried may be called a potato scallop, potato cake or potato fritter.

Corn fritter Fried cakes of maize dough

Corn fritters are fried cakes of a dough or batter made of, or containing a featured quantity of maize (corn). Originating in Native American cuisine, they are a traditional sweet and savory snack in the Southern United States, as well as Indonesia where they are known as perkedel jagung or bakwan jagung.

Squid as food Squid used for culinary purposes

Squid is eaten in many cuisines; in English, the culinary name calamari is often used for squid dishes. There are many ways to prepare and cook squid. Fried squid is common in the Mediterranean. In Lebanon and Syria, it is served with tartar sauce. In New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Canada, and South Africa, it is sold in fish and chip shops. In Britain, it can be found in Mediterranean 'calamari' or Asian 'salt and pepper fried squid' forms in various establishments, often served as a bar snack, street food, or starter.

Bermudian cuisine reflects a rich and diverse history and heritage blending British and Portuguese cuisine with preparations of local seafood species, particularly wahoo and rockfish. Traditional dishes include codfish and potatoes served either with an add on of hard boiled egg and butter or olive oil sauce with a banana or in the Portuguese style with tomato-onion sauce, peas and rice. Hoppin' John, pawpaw casserole and fish chowder are also specialties of Bermuda. As most ingredients used in Bermuda's cuisine are imported, local dishes are offered with a global blend, with fish as the major ingredient, in any food eaten at any time.

Bakwan Indonesian vegetable fritter

Bakwan is a vegetable fritter or gorengan from Indonesian cuisine. Bakwan are usually sold by traveling street vendors. The ingredients are vegetables; usually beansprouts, shredded cabbages and carrots, battered and deep fried in cooking oil. In West Java bakwan is known as 'bala-bala'. It is similar to Japanese yasai tenpura or Filipino ukoy.

Acadian cuisine Cuisine of the Acadian people

Acadian cuisine is the traditional dishes of the Acadian people. It is primarily seen in the present-day cultural region of Acadia. Acadian cuisine has been influenced by many things throughout its history, mostly the Deportation of the Acadians, proximity to the ocean, the Canadian winter, bad soil fertility, the cuisine of Quebec, American cuisine, and English cuisine.

Aunt Carrie's is a seafood restaurant in the Point Judith neighborhood of Narragansett, Rhode Island, opened in 1920 by Carrie and Ulysses Cooper. In 1994, Carrie's grandson Bill died; since then, his wife and now their two daughters run the restaurant.

References

  1. Tremaine, Julie. "This Is Clam Cake Country". SO Rhode Island. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  2. Mary. "Clam Fritters". One Perfect Bite. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  3. Rappeport, Laurie. "Clam Digging in New England". Demand Media. Local.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  4. Shaw, Hank. "Clam Cakes Block Island". Hunter.Angler.Gardener.Cook. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  5. "Rhode Island Clamcakes—Yes, Crisp Clam Doughnuts—Are the Perfect Taste of Summer". Saveur. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  6. "Clam Cakes, Rhody Style". thymemachinecuisine. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  7. "Phantom Gourmet: Aunt Carrie's Clam Cakes In Narragansett, RI". CBS Boston. 2014-07-22. Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  8. "Meet the Clam Cake". National Geographic. 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2020-07-24.