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Rhode Island clam cakes
Crisp deep-fried clam fritters from the clam shacks
At beach shacks along Narragansett Bay and in Galilee, clam cakes are bought by the paper bag, half a dozen at a time, to dunk in a cup of clear clam chowder. They are not patties but craggy, golden fritters, crisp outside and soft inside, studded with chopped quahog clams. Chef's tip: use the clam juice as part of the liquid; it puts the sea flavour into every bite of batter.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz chopped clams, fresh or tinneddrained, juice kept
- 9 oz plain flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- 6 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
- 6 lemon wedgesto serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: If using fresh clams, scrub them, throw away any with broken shells or that stay open when tapped, steam them open for 5 minutes in a covered pan with a splash of water, and discard any that stay shut. Chop the meat and keep the juice.
15 minStep 2: Whisk the 9 oz plain flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Beat the 1 egg with the ½ cup milk and ½ cup clam juice from the clams, and stir into the flour to a thick batter that drops from a spoon. Fold in the 10 ½ oz chopped clams, fresh or tinned.
4 minStep 3: Heat the 6 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep, heavy pan to 350°F, filling it no more than a third full.
10 minStep 4: Drop in heaped tablespoons of batter, 5 or 6 at a time, and fry for 4–5 minutes, turning, until deep golden and they float. A common mistake is making them too big; the middle stays raw and doughy.
15 minStep 5: Break one open to check: the inside should be fluffy and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with 6 lemon wedges.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rhode Island clam cakes take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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