Food

Our Love Affair with the Clam Cake

Inside Rhode Island’s most unique culinary tradition

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I remember the first time I dunked a clam cake into a cup of rich, creamy chowder. I ripped off a piece from the doughy and crispy cake, still hot from the fryer. The steam, escaping from the center, made its way to my nose. I was intoxicated. Without hesitation, I dunked. I went for it. I was rewarded with the heavenly combination of salty, savory and just a tiny bit of sweetness, from the well-preserved clams held hostage in the cake.

This moment, along with many others, has not only taken place with family and friends, but usually next to the ocean, at a picnic table, with a salty breeze coming onshore. Whether I am at the beach all day or making a special trip to South County from the city, I continue to have that craving. Whatever the reason, sometimes this is the only treat I want on a summer day.

But where did chowder come from? Who thought to put these ingredients together in the first place? Most sea-faring countries have had some version of fish chowder, the predecessor of clam chowder for centuries. Did you know that the Pilgrims were completely uninterested in eating clams when they first arrived in New England? It took some time, but they eventually started eating them and boy am I glad they did. We’ve been able to enjoy the fruits, or should I say clams, of their labor ever since.

Capitalizing on that labor is the beloved and oldest clam shack in Rhode Island, Aunt Carrie’s. Opened in 1920, this labor of love is born of the hard work and ingenuity of, you guessed it, Aunt Carrie. Her family frequented Narragansett in the summer and recognized that it was lacking a place to get a cold drink. What started as a lemonade stand shortly grew into a counter that served freshly made chowder and has evolved into what we know and love today – the Aunt Carrie’s you bring your family and friends to that overlooks Narragansett Bay.

But let’s say you want to get your hands a little dirty and make this stuff from scratch. Sounds like you need to go clamming. If you are a Rhode Island resident, you don’t need a license to engage in recreational shellfishing. It is a basic right of every Rhode Islander, and possibly even a requirement, to go to a tidal flat at low tide, harvest a couple of quahogs and cook them up any way you choose, preferably into chowder. Render some pork fat, dice up some potatoes and onions, don’t add corn, chop up some clams, add in the chicken broth and toss in some fresh dill and thyme, don’t forget the cream and voila. Welcome to a world of awesome.

And let’s not forget about the clam cake. This infamous, truly Rhode Island offering is an enigma to those outside of the Ocean State, save perhaps in a few scattered parts of New England. It falls in the same category as bubblers, coffee milk and cabinets. Some will put it into the category of a fritter but, if I may be so bold, I think it should remain in its own category. I don’t even care how this delicious treat came to be, I am just so thankful that it exists. And if you want to try making them on your own, Kenyon’s Grist Mill has a mix where all you have to do is add chopped clams and clam broth; it doesn’t get any easier than that.

So whether you’re digging them up, cooking it yourself or visiting one of the many clam shacks that sprinkle the coastline, summer won’t be complete until you have had at least one, two or (let’s be honest) more like six occasions where chowder and clam cakes are the star of the show. It just isn’t summer until I take that first bite that I crave year after year.

kenyon's grist mill, aunt carrie's, clam cakes, chowder, food, eat, summer, beach, so rhode isalnd

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