Clam Fritters Recipe: How to Make Clam Fritters
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Sep 8, 2024 • 4 min read
Clam fritters are a popular appetizer in towns along the shores of the East Coast of the United States. Enjoy the crispy, salty, golden-brown fritters with tartar sauce before a lobster roll or other seafood entrée. Learn how to make the fritters at home—no deep fryer required.
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What Are Clam Fritters?
Clam fritters are a fluffy, crispy, and savory appetizer of fresh clams coated in a thick, flour- or cornmeal-based batter, reminiscent of pancake batter. These fritters are a popular food item in the New England region of the United States, particularly Rhode Island. There are about 150 edible types of clams, but only a handful are commonly available commercially. Almost any clam works in a clam fritter, including razor clams, but baby clams, like manila and steamers (also known as soft-shell clams), are the most common additions to East Coast staples like clam fritters and New England clam chowder.
Serve clam fritters as an appetizer with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, and hot sauce or as a side dish to other seafood dishes like steamed crab legs or lobster tails.
Clam Fritters vs. Clam Cakes: What’s the Difference?
“Clam fritters” and “clam cakes” are interchangeable terms for chopped clams encased in a fluffy batter. Fritters are generally more rounded and ball-shaped, while clam cakes are flatter, but the flavors, ingredients, and cooking methods tend to be the same.
3 Tips for Making Clam Fritters
Clam fritter recipes use chopped clams and a thick batter. Beyond those key ingredients, recipes are customizable to personal taste. Use these tips when making clam fritters:
- 1. Clean the clams properly first. There is a simple process for cleaning clams. Fill up a large bowl with cold water and sea salt. To match the salinity of seawater, mix a ⅓ cup of salt with one gallon of water. Let the clams soak in the salted water for twenty minutes to an hour. The clams will purge sand from their shell. Remove the clams from the water with your hands and place them temporarily on a towel. Dump the sandy water from the original bowl and rinse it out. Using a stiff-bristle brush, clean the clams of any dirt or barnacles from their shells. After scrubbing, rinse the clams with cool water.
- 2. Chop the clams into small pieces. To evenly disperse the clams throughout the batter and ensure every bite is full of clam flavor, chop them into smaller pieces, even small clams. Aim for the size of corn kernels in corn fritters or shredded zucchini in zucchini fritters. Chopping the mollusks into smaller pieces ensures diners receive a bit of meat in every bite and makes the fritters easier to eat: Chopped clams are less chewy than whole ones.
- 3. Season the fritters with complementary flavors. Many seafood dishes use a seasoning blend of celery salt, black pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, mustard seed, garlic powder, and onion powder. Seafood also pairs well with citrus flavors, like lemon juice or vinegar. Use dry seasonings and spices in the fritter batter and citrus or vinegar flavors in a dipping sauce.
New England Clam Fritters Recipe
makes
About 20 frittersprep time
30 mintotal time
1 hr 15 mincook time
45 minIngredients
For the clams:
For the fritters:
Prepare the clams:
- 1
Prepare a saltwater bath by combining the water and salt in a large bowl.
- 2
Soak the clams in the saltwater until they have purged their sand, about 30 minutes.
- 3
Remove the clams from the water with your hands and place them on a clean dish towel.
- 4
Dump the sandy water from the bowl and rinse it out.
- 5
Use a stiff-bristle brush to clean the clams of dirt and barnacles.
- 6
Rinse the clams with cool water.
Make the fritters:
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the cleaned, unopened clams on the prepared baking sheet.
- 3
Crumple the aluminum foil around the clams, creating a bowl shape.
- 4
Pour the water over the clams.
- 5
Steam the clams in the oven until they all open, about 10–20 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
- 6
When the clams are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells and chop them into small pieces.
- 7
In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard powder.
- 8
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, clam juice, and eggs.
- 9
With a wooden spoon, combine the milk mixture and the dry ingredients.
- 10
Add the chopped clams to the batter.
- 11
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil until it shimmers.
- 12
To test the oil, spoon about a tablespoon of the batter into the oil. It should sputter, and the test fritter should form a golden-brown crust on the bottom within 2–3 minutes. Flip the fritter to finish cooking on the other side, about 2–3 more minutes. If the fritter remains pale and soaks up the oil, increase the heat. If it browns before the interior is fully cooked, decrease the heat. Taste the test fritter and adjust the seasoning of the batter if necessary.
- 13
Working in batches, fry large spoonfuls of the fritter batter in the hot oil until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- 14
Drain the fritters on paper towels or a wire rack nestled into a rimmed baking sheet.
- 15
Sprinkle the fritters with flaky sea salt while still warm.
- 16
Once you’ve cooked all of the fritters, garnish them with sliced green onions and serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.
- 17
Store leftover clam fritters in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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