At its finest, an Ipswich fried clam, whatever its provenance, is a meltingly tender soft-shell clam body surrounded, belly and all, by a crumb coating that, when deep-fried (preferably in lard), becomes a salty, crunchy-crisp casing for the soft and sweetly briny clam inside. The combination is irresistible.

Are Ipswich clams the same as steamers?

Ipswich clams—steamers that are native to a particular stretch of clam flats in the Great Marsh—are especially well suited to frying (get the recipe), owing to their especially creamy belly meat and pleasantly chewy siphon, which the clam uses to eat while it’s burrowed in the sand.

What are fried Ipswich clams?

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 the majority of whole belly clams come from Maine. Never substitute “clam strips” for whole belly clams.

Is there a season for Ipswich clams?

The limit for sea clams is thirty (30) per day and sixty (60) per week. Unless otherwise temporarily suspended by vote of the Board of Selectmen, commercial shell fishermen shall be restricted to harvesting only one tide per day from May 1st to September 30th, inclusive.

How do you eat Ipswich clams?

To eat, open the shell and remove the cooked clam. Use your fingers to pull off the skin covering the siphon of the clam. Discard with the shells into the shell bowl. Grip the siphon with your fingers, swirl the clam around in the hot broth (it will help to warm up the clams and to dislodge any remaining grit or sand).

What is the best clam to eat?

Measuring from one to two inches across, the littleneck is the smallest quahog. Like chowder and cherrystone clams, it’s mild and briny, but its size means it’s the most tender (and prized) of the lot; the plump, juicy meat is excellent raw or cooked.

How do you clean Ipswich clams?

To clean, first, thoroughly rinse the mud and sandy grit from the shells with cold water. Once rinsed, have a large bowl or pot ready with enough cold, salted water to submerge the clams. Never use hot or warm water as it will kill the clams. Cover and let the clams sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

Why are whole belly clams so expensive?

The prices are rising due to factors such as interest in local food during the pandemic and a limited supply of the clams on the market, said Brian Beal, a professor of marine ecology at the University of Maine at Machias whose research focuses on shellfish.

What’s the difference between littlenecks and steamers?

steamers. You might be wondering about the difference between littlenecks and steamers. While littlenecks have a hard shell, steamers have a soft shell. And soft-shell clams are often referred to as “steamers” or “fryers” because they’re never eaten raw.

What type of clams are whole belly?

While many varieties of clams are available on the market, whole belly clams for frying typically come from a select type known as soft-shell clams. Also referred to as long-neck or Ipswich clams, they are removed from their shell with a focus on keeping the belly joined to the neck.

What is inside clam bellies?

But the belly actually refers to the whole of the soft-shell clam: a firm scallop of digestive tract plus the smaller, silkier, brain-balls-heart of the thing. This circuit is connected by terrifically strong but tender muscle, and two thin siphons.

What are whole bellies?

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.

Where can I dig for clams in Ipswich?

Clammers dig in beds ranging from Plum Island Sound to the Castle Neck River. Residents can buy a recreational license with daily limits. Non-Ipswich residents can buy a day license.

Are steamers used for fried clams?

If you’re a fan of fried seafood (and who isn’t?), you’re gonna want to make a batch of these fried whole belly clams. To make them in the traditional New England style use Ipswich clams (a.k.a. Steamers or soft-shell clams) and use the whole clam bellies, strips and cleaned neck.

Where do clam strips come from?

“Clam strips are made from large surf clams, shucked, pounded flat and cut into strips,” Geringer-Dunn explains. “They’re much chewier and lack nearly all the delicious clam flavor you get from whole-belly clams.” So go with your, err, its gut, and pick up clam bellies, which are soft-shell varieties like Ipswich.

How do you get clams to spit out sand?

Place all the clams in a bowl and fill it with cool tap water. We’ve also heard that adding cornmeal or black pepper to the water will encourage the clams to spit out more sand. Let the clams sit for 20 minutes to an hour. During this time, they will spit out the sand from inside their shells.

What parts of a clam can you eat?

Here’s the truth: When you eat a clam, you eat the whole animal— all the soft tissue. The good parts and the parts you don’t want to think or talk about because those parts gross you out.

What is the difference between an oyster and a clam?

The shell of a clam is smooth and shiny while an oyster has a rough outer shell. Both the organisms take in water through the shells but the filtering procedure is different. Oysters produce pearls which are in much demand but clams do not. The word clam can denote a variety of mollusks in different parts of the world.