Clam Shack Clam Cakes

To fully appreciate the New England experience, you need to experience clam cakes. These Clam Shack Clam Cakes are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and filled with chopped clams. They are quintessential New England and a must-try.

When you’re craving fried food, these Smoked Bacon Hush Puppies and Shrimp Wonton Chips are going to hit the spot!

This clam cake recipe was one of my oldest posts on the blog. It was published on December 27, 2013. They are so good that they are worthy of a repost. I have updated the content and pictures since the original publication.   

These nuggets of yumminess are dear to my heart as they are my recreation of a childhood family favorite. I lived in Massachusetts most of my life. Growing up, my family used to frequent this hole-in-the-wall clam shack on one of the beaches of Cape Cod. The clams cakes were always fluffy, full of clams, crispy on the outside, and piping hot.

I played around with numerous variations and declared success when I created the recipe you see below. It has all the boxes checked—deep golden brown color, crispy exterior, tender interior, and slightly chewy chopped clams.

My secret ingredient in these awesome clam cakes is instant non-fat dry milk. Although only a small amount is used, it is an essential ingredient. Don’t leave it out. It serves several purposes: to help keep the dough tender, to provide color (browning), and, to a lesser extent, to add flavor.

Why not just use regular milk? In short, clam juice adds more flavor. With that said, if you don’t want to use powdered milk, swap out 1/4 cup of the clam juice for regular milk.

Recipe highlights:

• Preheat oil in a skillet to 360° F.
• Drain canned clams. Reserve the liquid. Add 3/4 cup clam juice.
• In a bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, nonfat dried milk, baking soda, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, pepper, and sugar.
• Stir in clam and clam juice.
• Drop by tablespoonful into the hot oil.
• Fry until golden brown, 3-4 minutes.
• Drain on paper towels.

How to obtain tender clams cakes?

Do not overmix the dough. It creates gluten, which results in a dense, tough end product. Mix the batter until everything is just combined.

As mentioned above, powdered milk also enhances tenderness.

How to keep the clam cakes crispy?

Once fried, drain on layers of paper towels or a cooling rack. Do not place it directly on a flat cold surface. This will promote condensation at the point of contact and create sogginess. For maximum crispiness, the clam cakes are best eaten immediately. 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 to serve?

Many New Englanders love to dip or drizzle the clam cakes with malt vinegar. Tartar sauce is also a delicious condiment. If you’re a hot and spicy fan, hot sauce is also an option. As for me, I think these clam cakes are perfect plain

Summertime means seafood time! There is plenty of it to be found here in New England. You can also find clam cakes at many seafood establishments along the coast. If you are a seafood fan, I hope you whip up a batch of these tasty clam cakes for yourself!    

Making that batter is super quick and easy and requires only one bowl. Fry time? I think you will like that too. This recipe yields 12. At about 4 minutes per batch, they take very little time to cook!

Recommended supplies:

(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)

• This grease splatter screen reduces the amount of splashing and cleanup after any frying job.
• You should be able to find dry milk powder at any grocery store. But it also available online.
• This 10-inch frying pan is perfect for the job. I love that it’s 2.7-inches deep.
• I use this ice cream scoop for dropping the batter into the hot oil.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THESE RECIPES:

Shrimp Wonton Chips	Tuna Salad Dip
Loaded Olive Oil Dipping Sauce	Layered Seafood Dip

Clam Shack Clam Cakes

Author: Thao | In Good Flavor Cooking Method:Frying Cuisine:American Courses:Appetizer Recipe Keys: P Pescatarian

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 7 minutesCook time: 10 minutesTotal time: 17 minutesServings:30 Servings

Description

To fully appreciate the New England experience, you need to experience clam cakes. These Clam Shack Clam Cakes are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and filled with chopped clams. They are quintessential New England and a must-try.

Ingredients

• 2 (6.5 ounces) cans chopped clam  
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 5 tablespoons nonfat dried milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 rounded teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 rounded teaspoon sugar
• Enough oil for deep frying

Instructions

1. Preheat oil in a deep fryer or skillet to 360 degrees F.
2. Drain clams, reserving liquid. 3/4 cup of clam juice will be added to dry ingredients.
3. Whisk together the remaining eight ingredients. Blend in clams and clam juice until just combined. The batter should have the consistency of a thick pancake batter. Add more clam juice, one tablespoon at a time, if the batter is dry.
4. Use a 1-tablespoon capacity ice cream scoop or a regular tablespoon to drop the batter into the hot oil. Deep fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown, turning halfway through. Do not crowd the pan. Cook in 2 batches, if needed.
5. Makes 12 to 14 clam cakes.

Notes

• If there isn’t enough clam juice once drained, use milk to make up the difference or bottled clam juice if available.
• If you don’t have dry milk, swap out 1/4 cup of the clam juice for 1/4 cup of regular milk.

Keywords:Clam cakes, Frying, Seafood, New England, Clams

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