Crispy Clam Strips: A Dish Born Out of Necessity
It’s said that crispy fried clam strips are to New England what barbeque is to the American South. It’s a ubiquitous dish that Northerners eat their fair share of, and to them, it’s as American as apple pie.
It’s only fitting that the history of this national dish begins in Essex, Massachusetts on the sweltering days of July 3 and 4. In 1916, Lawrence Henry “Chubby” Woodman and his wife, Bessie, owned a small concession stand on Main Street. One of the establishment’s specialties was its potato chips though they also sold grocery staples and fresh clams.
Having an abundance of clams on a hot summer day, and being short on business, one of Chubby’s patrons, Tarr, suggested “Why don’t you fry up some of your clams? If they’re as tasty as those potato chips of yours, you’ll never have to worry about not having enough customers.”
Chubby and Bessie got to work. They shucked all the clams they had and began working on the right ratios for the clam strip batter. What they settled on was a combination of milk and finely ground cornmeal and flour. The clam strips were dipped, fried, and served hot to customers who were delighted by the new flavor. Woodman’s sold out of crispy fried clam strips on July 4 and has been selling them ever since.
Clam shacks began opening up and down the New England coasts. Initially, soft-shelled Ipswich clams dug out of muddy flats were the only acceptable mollusks served. However, they aren’t as abundant anymore due to pollution and development. Some restaurants now prefer to use hard-shell clams though they tend to be grittier.
In 1983, a New York Times reporter described Woodman’s as “a rambling barn of a place with wooden picnic tables, no waiters, lots of flies, and all the sophisticated ambiance of a Kiwanis Club cookout in Jersey City.”
Americans outside of New England became familiar with tasty, crispy clam strips thanks to Howard Johnson, owner of a chain of restaurants that had 100 spots across the East Coast. A year after crispy clam strips were invented, Howard learned how to make them from their inventor. They remained a popular item on the HOJO menu for decades.
Clam strips are not without controversy, though. If you want to start a debate, ask a group of Patriots which they prefer—clam strips or clam bellies. You’re sure to have a passionate dispute. Some disregard clam strips as nothing more than a dive bar appetizer while strip fans call clam bellies, “unpleasant.”
It’s not much different when it comes down to southern barbeque, either. Differing opinions on regional dishes is what makes American food, American.
