Clam Cakes Recipe - Rhode Island Clam Fritters | Hank Shaw (2024)

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4.79 from 38 votes

By Hank Shaw

April 11, 2012 | Updated June 11, 2020

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Clam Cakes Recipe - Rhode Island Clam Fritters | Hank Shaw (2)

Clam cakes. They’re just like crab cakes or fish cakes, only with clams, right? Oh no, my friend. If you think that, you would be terribly, tragically wrong. Because as much as I like crab cakes, a true Rhode Island style clam cake is so, so much more.

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. And another.

With the possible exception of the Pacific Northwest, no region can boast mastery of the humble clam like New England. And within New England, it is Rhode Island that does it best. I have never seen these clam cakes any other place. They are a masterpiece of street food. To me, they are why you arrive early at the port of Galilee to await the Block Island ferry.

When I was a boy, I was partial to gigantic plates of fried clams. When I grew a little older, I discovered these clam cakes. And I’ve lusted after them ever since. They are to me the gateway food of Block Island, which is the place I learned to forage and the place whose natural beauty I still hold closest to my heart. My fondest wish is to die an old man in a little cottage on that island. But not just yet.

I am 3,100 miles from Block Island right now, a long way from Galilee and Rhody clam cakes. A few days ago, as I drove home from Bodega Bay, laden with clams, I realized that this was my first real chance to make clam cakes with fresh clams I had caught since I’d moved West years ago.

I looked at my bucket of horseneck clams, dug an hour before.While they are certainly not the glorious quahog of my youth, they would do just fine in a clam cake — after all, you grind the clams anyway.

As it happens, these are basically clam beignets.My recipe has no corn. More clams than the typical fritter, cake flour instead of all-purpose, and a touch ofmaple syrup. Maple syrup? Trust me. You need it.

Now normally Rhode Island clam cakes are served with Tabasco and tartar sauce. As you might imagine, I am more of a Tabasco man. But I could not keep thinking about how much these were like New Orleans beignets. So I decided to break from Rhode Island tradition and add a little bit of the Big Easy to this recipe: Remoulade.

If I thought I loved clam cakes before this, I may now be a clam cake junkie. Holy crap but this was good! The recipe I made was way too much for Holly and I to eat at one sitting, but I decided to make them all anyway. We gorged ourselves on clam cakes until we were about to burst. I put the leftover cakes in the fridge.

And you know something? They fried up almost as good the next day. Popped back in the deep fryer for 2-3 minutes, they came out fine.

Premade fried food? Yes, please.

4.79 from 38 votes

Rhode Island Clam Cakes

This recipe is best made with freshly ground clams, although it would still be good with finely chopped clams. Canned would be OK, and better to make it with canned than not at all, but please, please, please make this at least once with fresh clams. You will not be sorry. Use cake flour if you can get it; it will make a lighter, fluffier cake. All-purpose is fine if you can't find cake flour. Use a "regular" beer, not a fancy one. Think Budweiser. Be sure to keep your oil as close to 350°F as you can. The cakes will come out greasy if your oil gets too cool. Fry in batches to prevent this.

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Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 people

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe for remoulade
  • Canola or other vegetable oil for frying
  • 3 beaten eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup clam broth
  • 1/2 cup cold beer
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped or ground clams
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 1/2 cups cake flour, or all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • Make the remoulade first and set aside. Heat the oil to 350°F.

  • Mix all the liquid ingredients together except the beer. Mix all the dry ingredients together. When your oil is hot, add the beer to the liquid ingredients and mix gently. Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined.

  • Drop a tablespoon of batter into the hot oil at a time. Do not crowd the pot. Let them sizzle for 30 seconds or so, then dislodge any that are stuck to the bottom with a chopstick or wooden skewer. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.

  • Drain on paper towels and serve while hot with the remoulade, Tabasco or tartar sauce. And beer. Lots of beer.

Notes

If you can't eat all the cakes in one sitting, leave the oil in the fryer overnight; it'll be fine. Then reheat and refry the leftover cakes for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once. If you want a more traditional New England Fried Clam recipe, I got one.

Nutrition

Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 425mg | Potassium: 237mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 155IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
American Recipes, Appetizers and Snacks, Fish, Recipe

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Clam Cakes Recipe - Rhode Island Clam Fritters | Hank Shaw (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between clam cakes and clam fritters? ›

Most places around here call them clam cakes. It's more of a regional thing to call them cakes. Fritters, by definition, are bits of batter that are pan or deep fried that contain meat or fruit. So, we call them fritters because it is more universally known.

Are clam cakes a Rhode Island thing? ›

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.

Who makes clam cakes? ›

Established in 1923, Harmon's Clam Cakes has been perfecting this New England delicacy for more than 80 years. Harmon's Clam Cakes are New England's original and authentic clam cake. Buy Harmon's Clam Cakes Now! ~ Cake Basket: Serve one or more Harmon's Clam Cakes with fries, coleslaw and a pickle.

What kind of clams are in Rhode Island? ›

The “Alba” variety is the most common, having a more uniform white shell, while the “Notata” variety has a reddish-brown pattern on the shell (“Charlie Brown” clams) and is found in only 1-2 % of the wild population. Quahogs are harvested recreationally by rake, foot or common garden tools.

Is pancake batter the same as fritter batter? ›

A fritter batter is a muffin batter without butter (fat). How does pancake batter fit in? Right in the middle of the two because it use 1/2 part fat, but keeps the other core components the same. These all fall under the quick bread family, which use baking powder or soda as a leavener.

Can you substitute canned clams for fresh? ›

PASTA AND RICE DISHES: Classic Spaghetti and Clam Sauce works well with canned clams (and means less work for everyone at the table trying to pluck the clams from their shells). Paella is also a place where you can swap in canned for fresh in a pinch.

What is the Rhode Island signature dessert? ›

Doughboys. Rhode Island's version of a zeppole or beignet, a doughboy is simply a square of dough that's been fried and dusted with either granulated or powdered sugar.

What food is Rhode Island known? ›

Staple ingredients in Rhode Island's cuisine, quahogs, and clams shine in local dishes. Take 'stuffies' for instance - oversized clams stuffed with a savory mix of chopped clams, breadcrumbs, and herbs. And then there's the famed clam cake, a deep-fried, doughy delight teeming with chopped clams.

What is the best way to reheat clam cakes? ›

They will lose crispiness once stored. To restore crispiness, a quick refry will provide the best result. Reheating for a few minutes in the oven will also bring back some crispiness.

How many calories in a clam cake? ›

Clam cake or patty (1 cake - 4 1/2" diameter x 1/2") contains 20.9g total carbs, 19.8g net carbs, 20.5g fat, 24.2g protein, and 370 calories.

What is a clam baker? ›

The clambake or clam bake, also known as the New England clambake, is a traditional method of cooking seafood, such as lobster, mussels, crabs, scallops, soft-shell clams, and quahogs. The food is traditionally cooked by steaming the ingredients over layers of seaweed in a pit oven.

What is the clam capital of the United States? ›

Midcentury Pismo Beach earned its nickname for its unusual abundance of large clams — some of the biggest in California, in fact! So abundant in the mollusks was Pismo Beach that they were actually named after the charming beach town.

What is the rarest clam in the world? ›

Hippopus porcellanus, the China Clam, is arguably the rarest species of giant clam living today. It has a very restricted range second only to the Devil Clam, but it is extremely rare where the species has been found.

What is the best eating clam? ›

Tenderness decreases with size, and littlenecks are the sweetest. Razor clams are long, narrow clams that look like an old-fashioned straight razor. They are delicious when steamed. Manila clams, a hard-shelled clam found in the Pacific, can be eaten raw or steamed.

What are the two categories of fritters? ›

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.

What is the difference between fried clams and clam strips? ›

One of the main differences between fried clam strips and fried clam bellies is the texture. Fried clam bellies are more tender and succulent than strips, which are typically firmer and chewier. This makes fried clam bellies a popular choice for people who prefer a more luxurious and satisfying seafood experience.

Why is it called a fritter? ›

History tells us that our English word is borrowed from Old French, “friture” which has its roots in the Latin word for “fry”. Typically made with made with a vegetable, like a corn fritter, fruit, like an apple fritter, and even meat, fritter batter can be sweet or spicy, as well as deep-fried, or pan-fried.

What is the meaning of fritter cake? ›

Plain fritters are deep-fried cakes of chou paste or a yeast dough. In another type, bits of meat, seafood, vegetables, or fruit are coated with batter and deep-fried. Small cakes of chopped food in batter, such as corn fritters in the southern United States, are also called fritters. beignet.

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