Rhode Island Clam Cakes
Quick answer
- Total time
- 40 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Unlike a breadcrumb-bound crab cake, these fritters get their body from a batter that puffs as it fries, with chopped clam scattered through the crumb.
Read more
Canned cooked clams skip purging and steaming, but the drained meat and the liquid are measured separately; tipping in the whole can thins the batter until the fritters spread flat. Large pieces of clam poke out of the batter and scorch in the oil, so everything is chopped small. The first fritter, cut open, shows whether the rest need more time or a cooler pot.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Drain and weigh 170 g clam meat, then chop finely.
Measure 120 ml clam liquid, topping up with bottled clam juice if needed.
- 2
Mix flour, baking powder, garlic and pepper.
Beat egg with milk and clam liquid separately, add clams, then fold in dry ingredients just until no dry flour remains.
- 3
Heat about 4 cm oil to 180°C in a deep pot, below half its height.
Fry one tablespoon of batter first for 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally.
- 4
Check that the first fritter reaches 74°C in the center and has no wet batter when cut.
If it darkens too soon, reduce oil to 175°C and cook longer.
- 5
Fry the rest in tablespoon portions over 3 to 4 batches, allowing the oil to recover.
Drain on a rack for 2 minutes before serving.
References checked
These references were consulted when this page was prepared or corrected. A source check does not mean the recipe was independently kitchen-tested.
- Rhode Island clam cakes
Ben's Ramblings · Checked: 2026-09-26
- Safe minimum internal temperatures
FoodSafety.gov · Checked: 2026-09-26
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