Fried Ipswich Whole Belly Clams with Tartar Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 servings canola oil for frying
• 4 cups clams drained (see Notes)
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal 
• 3 cups cracker crumbs (see Notes)
• 0.5 cup breadcrumbs dry fine
• 6 large eggs 
• 1 cup flour all-purpose
• 2 teaspoons old bay seasoning 
• 4 servings tartar sauce 

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• paper towels
• sauce pan
• whisk
• sieve

Directions

1. 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.
2. Spread the clams out on several layers of paper towels and blot them as dry as possible.
3. Heat about 3 inches of canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat to 360°F.
4. 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.
5. Transfer to the baking sheet. If the breading begins to clump, put it through a coarse sieve.
6. 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.
7. Drain on paper towels.
8. Pile the clams on 4 dinner plates and serve with individual bowls of tartar sauce—and some fries.
9. If you can’t find cracker meal, you can make your own. Pulse saltine crackers in a food processor to very fine crumbs.
10. Put the crumbs through a coarse strainer to remove any large pieces. An 8-ounce box of crackers will make about 2 1/4 cups of cracker meal.You might be able to special order Ipswich clams through your fishmonger. If not, there are several online sources.
11. Reprinted with permission from The Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant Cookbook: Recipes & Tales From A Classic American Restaurant by Sandy Ingber with Roy Finamore. Text copyright © 2013 Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant Franchising Co., Inc.; photographs copyright © 2012 by Iain Bagwell. Published in 2013 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang.