Lunch: Fried Ipswich Whole Belly Clams with Tartar Sauce

Recipe by Sandy Ingber with Roy Finamore Ipswich whole belly clams are steamers that have been removed from their shells and had the necks and membranes removed. And while you can get Ipswich clams from Ipswich, Massachusetts—where we get ours—these days

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
6 large eggs
3 cups cracker meal (see Notes)
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons cornmeal
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2 pounds (about 4 cups) Ipswich clams, drained (see Notes)
Canola oil for frying
Tartar Sauce

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Set up for what we call "standard breading procedure": Put the flour in a shallow bowl; put the eggs in a second shallow bowl and beat them with a fork; put the cracker meal, bread crumbs, cornmeal, and Old Bay in a third shallow bowl and whisk to combine.
Spread the clams out on several layers of paper towels and blot them as dry as possible.
Heat about 3 inches of canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat to 360 °F.
Toss the clams in the flour and shake off any excess. Dip the clams into the egg, coating them completely. Lift them out by the handful and let any excess egg drip off, then put the clams into the breading mixture and toss to coat them completely. Keep one hand dry and use the other hand for wet. Transfer to the baking sheet. If the breading begins to clump, put it through a coarse sieve.
Fry the clams in small batches—crowding the pan will lower the temperature of the oil and the clams will come out greasy—until golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels.
Pile the clams on 4 dinner plates and serve with individual bowls of tartar sauce—and some fries.

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