Fried Clams With Tartar And Cocktail Sauces Food

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!

CRISP-FRIED CLAMS WITH SPINACH TARTAR SAUCE IN PITA POCKETS

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine well the spinach, the mayonnaise, the pickle, the capers, the mustard, the lemon juice, and salt and black pepper to taste and chill the tartar sauce, covered.
• In a large saucepan of boiling water blanch the clams for 2 minutes, drain them in a colander, and rinse them under cold water. Remove the clams from the shells, peeling off and discarding the dark membranes, rinse them briefly under cold water, and drain them well. In three separate shallow dishes have ready the flour, the eggs beaten with the salt and cayenne, and the cornmeal. Dredge the clams, 1 at a time, in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip them in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off, and dredge them in the cornmeal, transferring them as they are coated to a sheet of wax paper. In a kettle heat 1 inch of the oil to 375°F. on a deep-fat thermometer, in it fry the clams in 2 batches for 1 minute, or until they are crisp, and transfer them with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Cut 1/4 off one end of each pita, open the pita to form a pocket, and divide the fried clams among the pita pockets. Spoon some of the tartar sauce into each pocket, spreading it over the clams.

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.

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 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.

FRIED IPSWICH WHOLE BELLY CLAMS WITH TARTAR SAUCE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Set up for what we call "standard breading procedure": Put the flour in a shallow bowl; put the eggs in a second shallow bowl and beat them with a fork; put the cracker meal, bread crumbs, cornmeal, and Old Bay in a third shallow bowl and whisk to combine.
• Spread the clams out on several layers of paper towels and blot them as dry as possible.
• Heat about 3 inches of canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat to 360°F.
• Toss the clams in the flour and shake off any excess. Dip the clams into the egg, coating them completely. Lift them out by the handful and let any excess egg drip off, then put the clams into the breading mixture and toss to coat them completely. Keep one hand dry and use the other hand for wet. Transfer to the baking sheet. If the breading begins to clump, put it through a coarse sieve.
• Fry the clams in small batches-crowding the pan will lower the temperature of the oil and the clams will come out greasy-until golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels.
• Pile the clams on 4 dinner plates and serve with individual bowls of tartar sauce-and some fries.