Fried clams

The clams are dipped in evaporated milk, then coated with some combination of regular, corn, and pastry flour. The usual variant in New England is made from whole soft-shell clams, known as "whole-bellies"; these include the clam's gastrointestinal tract and have a fuller flavor. Some restaurants remove the clam's chewy siphon called the neck. ==History==

Fried clams are mentioned as early as 1840, and are listed on an 1865 menu from the Parker House hotel. How exactly they were prepared is unclear; the 1865 menu offers both "oysters—fried" and "oysters—fried in batter", but only "fried clams". Nineteenth-century American cookbooks describe several different dishes of fried clams: • Seasoned clams sautéed in butter. (1850) • Clams breaded (with egg binding) and sautéed in butter or fat. (1850) • Clams in a beaten egg batter, fried in butter, called "clam fritters". (1850) in his small roadside restaurant, now Woodman's of Essex. One of his specialties was potato chips, so he had large vats for deep-frying. He used clams he had collected himself from the mud flats of the Essex River, located close to his home. Later, Thomas Soffron, of Soffron Brothers Clam Co., based in Ipswich, Massachusetts, created clam strips, which are made from the "foot" of hard-shelled sea clams. He sold these to Howard Johnson's in an exclusive deal, and as the chain expanded, they became popular throughout the country. ==Health and dietary considerations==

Clams in themselves are low in cholesterol and fat, but fried clams absorb cooking fat. == References ==