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Northwest Fried Razor Clam Recipe I
30 saltine cracker squares
2
eggs
1/4 cup milk
Dash
Tabasco sauce or to taste
24 medium-size cleaned fresh or frozen razor clams*
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter
Coarse
salt and freshly
ground pepper, to taste
Lemon Slices
Cocktail Sauce
*If the clams are frozen, thaw them in a colander in the sink so they will not be sitting in water as they thaw (if you don't drain them as they thaw, they will be tough).
Crush the crackers with a rolling pin. Do not use a food processor which will spin them too fine.
In a shallow platter, beat the eggs together. Add the milk and Tabasco sauce.
Dry the clams thoroughly with a paper towel. NOTE: If you proceed without the
clams being dry, breading will not adhere to the clams well, and wet clams
steaks will result in LOTS of splattering of the hot oil.
Tenderize clams by pounding with the textured side
of a meat mallet - pay particular attention to the tough siphon end.
NOTE: Be careful, as
you want the clams to remain in one piece.
Dip each clam in the eggs;
drain off any excess. Place them in the crumbs to coat.
Place breaded clam on a rack or plate; repeat process with remaining clams. Let clams stand for 20 to 30 minutes
to the breading set up.
While the clams are resting, heat the vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan (cast-iron
pan is ideal) over medium-high heat. Add the butter. Heat
the oil (but not so hot as to smoke).
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NOTE: Give the oil
plenty of time to heat up and make sure it is at the
right temperature before you begin. If it is too cool,
the clams will soak up oil and be greasy. If it is too
hot, the clams will burn on the outside before the
inside is cooked. Most foods are fried at 350 degrees F.
To gauge the temperature, use a
Cooking
Thermometer
or drop a
cube of bread in the oil. If it turns golden brown in 1
minute, the oil is ready to fry in.
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 When
the oil is hot, use tongs or a spatula to carefully add the clams. Do not crowd the clams. Fry for not
more than 30 seconds, then flip the clams for continue cooking for
an additional 30 second on the other side.
NOTE: It is important not to overcook the clams or they will be tough.
Allow the oil to heat back up in between each round of cooking your clams.
Remove the clams from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel
lined plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Repeat until all
clams are cooked and serve as soon as possible while warm. Serve with lemon slices
and your favorite
Cocktail Sauce
or
Tartar Sauce.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
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Northwest Fried Razor Clam Recipe II
1 cup all-purpose
flour
Coarse
salt and freshly
ground pepper, to taste
3
eggs,
beaten
1 (3.25-ounce package) Panko (Japanese-style crumbs),
approximately 2 1/4
cups
1 pound medium-size cleaned fresh or frozen razor clams*
1 cup vegetable oil
Lemon
Slices
Cocktail Sauce
*If the clams are frozen, thaw them in a colander in the sink so they will not be sitting in water as they thaw (if you don't drain them as they thaw, they will be tough).
Place the flour in a pie pan and
season with salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs in a second pie pan and
place the Panko crumbs in a third pie pan.
 Dry the clams thoroughly with a paper towel. NOTE: If you proceed without the
clams being dry, breading will not adhere to the clams well, and wet clams
steaks will result in LOTS of splattering of the hot oil.
Tenderize clams by pounding with the textured side
of a meat mallet - pay particular attention to the tough siphon end.
NOTE: Be careful, as
you want the clams to remain in one piece.
Dredge a clam in the flour mixture,
dip in beaten egg, then coat both sides with Panko crumbs. Place
breaded clam on a rack or plate; repeat process with remaining
clams. Let clams stand for 20 to 30 minutes
to the breading set up.
While the clams are resting, heat the vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan
cast-iron
pan is ideal) over medium-high heat. Add the butter. Heat
the oil (but not so hot as to smoke).
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NOTE: Give the oil
plenty of time to heat up and make sure it is at the
right temperature before you begin. If it is too cool,
the clams will soak up oil and be greasy. If it is too
hot, the clams will burn on the outside before the
inside is cooked. Most foods are fried at 350 degrees F.
To gauge the temperature, use a
Cooking
Thermometer or drop a
cube of bread in the oil. If it turns golden brown in 1
minute, the oil is ready to fry in.
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When the oil is hot, use tongs or a spatula to
carefully add the clams. Do not crowd the clams. Fry for not
more than 30 seconds, then flip the clams for continue cooking for
an additional 30 second on the other side.
NOTE: It is important not to overcook the clams or they will be tough.
Allow the oil to heat back up in between each round of cooking your
clams.
Remove the clams from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel
lined plate. Repeat until all clams are cooked and
serve as soon as possible while warm. Serve with lemon slices and
your favorite
Cocktail Sauce
or
Tartar Sauce.
Makes 3 to 4 servings.
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 When breading and frying fresh
Razor Clams,
here are some tricks to keep in
mind:Your Razor
clams must be properly cleaned before frying them.
If you are lucky enough to go to the beach and dig your own clams,
check out this great web site and
Learn how to clean
fresh razor clams.
To pound or not to
pound! Razor clams are a seafood that can be succulent and tender or
like industrial-strength rubber bands, depending on how you handle
and cook them. I usually pound them. Be careful, though; you want
them to remain in one piece
Start by
patting the meat dry. Lay your clean
clams on top of a few sheets of paper towels to remove the
moisture on the clams; pat dry with your hands. If you don’t
remove the moisture, the breading will not adhere to the clams
well, and the wet clams will result in lots of splattering of
the hot oil you are cooking them in.
First clear your countertop and set out three (3) plates containing the
following ingredients in the order listed: (1) flour, (2) beaten egg, (3) bread crumbs or
cracker crumbs, plus a rack or plate to hold the breaded meat.
Place the
cleaned and patted dry clams in the four/cracker mixture; turn with your hand
or a fork to coat it.
Pick up the meat with the other hand and place it in the beaten egg. Using the
same
hand (consider it your wet hand) to turn the meat and coat it with egg. Then
pull it out and lay the egg-coated meat on top of the bread or cracker crumbs. Use your dry hand or fork
to pat the crumbs on. Shake off any excess crumbs and set the meat on the final
plate or rack.
When everything is breaded, let it rest on the counter or in the refrigerator
for 20 to 30 minutes. This helps the coating dry out and adhere better.
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