Clam Fritters
Make a batter of a pint of sifted flour, an even teaspoon of baking powder, one-half teaspoon salt, one cup of milk, half a cup of clam liquor and two well-beaten eggs. Chop two dozen soft clams, season with salt and pepper, add to the batter and with a tablespoon drop into deep, boiling fat.
A straightforward drop-fritter batter that depends almost entirely on frying temperature and on how you treat the clams. Two clarifications matter most: the flour is measured by volume, and "soft clams" means a specific species.
- A pint of sifted flourFlour was measured by volume in this period: a pint is 2 cups, sifted before measuring, roughly 7 to 8 oz. Sift first, then measure, or the batter will be stiff.
- Soft clamsThese are soft-shell clams (steamers, Mya arenaria), not littlenecks. Shuck them raw or steam briefly, and peel the tough black skin off the siphon before chopping. Two dozen will give roughly one to two cups of chopped meat depending on size; shucked clams sold by the pint are a reasonable substitute.
- Clam liquorThe liquid released when the clams are shucked or steamed. Strain it through a cloth to catch grit, and taste before salting the batter, since it is already saline.
- Deep, boiling fatFat does not boil; the phrase means fully hot, 365-375F. Below that the fritters absorb grease, above it the outside colours before the centre sets. Use a thermometer and fry in small batches so the temperature holds.
- Batter consistencyWith a cup of milk plus the clam liquor and eggs, this is a loose drop batter that spreads slightly in the fat. If it runs off the spoon in a stream rather than a heavy blob, add a spoonful or two more flour.
- LeaveningOne teaspoon of baking powder for 2 cups of flour is modest by current standards; the well-beaten eggs will contribute some lift as well. Fry promptly so the batter does not sit and deflate.
- Doneness and drainingTablespoon-size fritters take about 3 to 4 minutes, turning once as they float. Drain on a rack rather than paper so the undersides stay crisp.
Clam fritters belong to the Atlantic coast kitchen from Long Island up through New England, where soft-shell clams were dug at low tide in quantity and were cheap enough to be everyday food rather than a delicacy. The recipe's logic is thrifty in a way that reads as deliberate: the liquor from shucking goes straight back into the batter, so nothing of the clam's flavour is thrown out. The Butterick Publishing Company was a pattern and magazine house, and its cook book was aimed at the same middle-class household that bought its dress patterns, which is why the instructions assume a cook who already knows what hot fat looks like and needs only the proportions.