Photo: Lil Rhody Clam Cake Crawl.
Megan Hall, left, producer of the Rhode Island Report podcast, listens as US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse analyzes a clam cake as part of the 10th Lil Rhody Clam Cake Crawl.
Rhode Island is justly proud of its clam cakes, which is why local enthusiasts launched an annual hunt for the very best.
At the Boston Globe, Ed Fitzpatrick wrote about one distinguished guest who lent his opinions to fellow Rhode Island “Clamarati” during the 10th Lil Rhody Clam Cake Crawl.
“As they stood outside Aunt Carrie’s Restaurant,” Fitzpatrick wrote, “Renee Bessette asked US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse why he had agreed to join the 10th Lil Rhody Clam Clake Crawl.
“ ‘A momentary lapse in judgment,’ Whitehouse replied with a laugh.
“But the Senate Judiciary Committee member grew serious when it came time to judge Rhode Island clam cakes using a rigorous seven-point rubric that includes ‘clam-to-cake ratio’ (does it have a lot of clams?), ‘clambiance’ (as an overall experience, would you go here again?), and ‘nubbins’ (Does it have protrusions, often clams, that can also be used as a handle as you eat?).
“ ‘Less on crispy. Smaller. More on tenderosity,’ Whitehouse said as he contrasted an Iggy’s clam cake with an Aunt Carrie’s clam cake.” Read all of the Senator’s insights at the Globe, here.
Blogger Hunter Gather Cook also has a Rhode Island clam cake post, which includes a recipe that recommends using freshly ground clams if at all possible.
“Think clam beignet, or donut hole,” writes Hunter Gather Cook. “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. …
“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. …
“My recipe has no corn. More clams than the typical fritter, cake flour instead of all-purpose, and a touch of maple syrup. Maple syrup? Trust me. You need it.
“Now normally Rhode Island clam cakes are served with Tabasco and tartar sauce. … 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. … 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.”
Any clam cake recipe including remoulade will horrify RI clamarati, but here goes. It starts with “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, and 3 1/2 cups cake flour, or all-purpose flour.”
More at Hunter Gather, here.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 