Clam Fritters

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I found this recipe several weeks ago while searching for dishes that would allow me to use the large cans of chopped clams found in warehouse stores. It was originally developed by Craig Claiborne, a prolific food writer and editor at The New York Times. He called the recipe Bonacker-Style Clam Fritters and considered it to be a perfect example of authentic American cooking. Bonacker is the name given to natives of the East Hampton, Long Island. Fortunately, this dish had been featured at Saveur.com and I was able to retrieve the original recipe from their files. I wanted to make the dish as it was written, the only substitution being the use of canned for fresh clams. The most difficult part of this exercise was determining how much meat would actually be harvested from 4 dozen cherrystone clams. Available search engines failed me, so I splashed water on my face, put on some lipstick and went for a chat with my guys at the fish market. Based on the assumption that all the cherrystones were the same middling size, the guys were certain - certain mind you - that I'd need 2-1/2 cups of chopped canned meat to equal the amount that I'd get from freshly shucked clams. It, of course, took another 20 minutes to explain why I was going through the exercise in the first place and by the time I left the market I wasn't quite sure why myself. At any rate, I made it home and we had great fritters for dinner. These are less doughy than most I've had and I really enjoyed them. I think you might too. Here's the recipe.

Clam Fritters (Bonacker-Style Clam Fritters)...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Craig Claiborne and Saveur

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1⁄3 cup clam juice
1⁄4 cup milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
Pinch cayenne
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2-1/2 cups coarsely chopped, drained clams
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil

Directions:
1) Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Whisk in eggs, lemon juice, clam juice, milk, butter, and cayenne, whisking until batter is smooth. Add parsley and clams, then season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
2) Add vegetable oil to a heavy skillet, to a depth of 1⁄8-inch, and heat over medium heat. When oil is hot but not smoking, spoon about 2 tablespoons of clam batter for each fritter into hot oil. (Work in batches and avoid crowding pan.) Fry until golden on one side, then turn fritters and continue frying about 2 minutes more. Make sure fritters are cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yield: 16 fritters.

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Linguine and Clams with Garlic White Wine Sauce - The Red Spoon
Cuban Clam Fritters with Cilantro Mayo - Lazaro Cooks
Spaghetti Frutti di Mare - Cooking-Gallery
Clams and Mussels in Tomato Broth - Mangiandobene
Clams with Green Peppers Tomatoes and Wine - My Mediterranean Diet
Karin's Curried Clam Pie - Pithy and Cleaver
Italian White or Red Seafood Chowder - What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine

Yangzhou Fried Rice

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Ten years ago we spent a brief period of time in a loft apartment. It was quite small, but with only three of us and a great deal of planning, it became a manageable, if not luxurious, space. Bob and I had sold our family home and were biding time, waiting for secondary pensions to vest before moving on to Oregon. Our youngest daughter, home following a year in Asia, made her first forays into cooking in that tiny kitchen. Fried rice was her specialty. She and I had discovered Ming Tsai, who was a Food Network star at the time and his style of cooking was perfect for that tiny space. We became wok and cleaver women and began to study, really study, Asian cooking and techniques. Years later in Yangzhou, a city near Shanghai, China I came across a fried rice that would replace the one that we crafted in that loft. No one knows for sure how fried rice became associated with the city Marco Polo once called home. The rice, in different guises, is served throughout China, and Western eyes are drawn to the color of its myriad ingredients. The version I serve is meatless and made with two cups of diced vegetables. If you prefer meat in your rice, substitute one cup of vegetables with a protein you really like. In China, we were served a version that was, most often, made with dried, reconstituted shrimp and fatback or pork belly. It's interesting to note that fried rice was served in the emperor's court, though it was wrapped in egg crepes or lotus leaves. For most of us, however, it will remain a great way to use leftover rice and bits and bobs of previous meals. There are hundreds of ways to make this rice. Here's the one I use for a great meatless meal.

Yangzhou Fried Rice - Yangzhou Chao Fan...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup finely minced yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup frozen petite peas, thawed and drained
1/2 cup frozen petite corn, thawed and drained
1/2 cup frozen diced carrots, thawed and drained
1/2 cup frozen edamame, thawed and drained
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 cups cooked rice

Directions:
1) Heat a wok over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. When hot, pour in eggs and cook without stirring until lightly set, about 30 seconds. Break up eggs and transfer to a plate.
2) Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to wok set over high heat. Add onion and stir fry until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant. Add vegetables and stir fry until crisp tender, about 3 minutes.
3) Add sesame oil, soy sauce, salt and sugar to vegetables. Stir in rice and toss to combine. Add eggs and cook until rice is heated through. Serve hot. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Warm Asian-Style Rice Salad - One Perfect Bite
Wild Rice, Celery and Walnut Salad - One Perfect Bite
Sticky Rice and Alms Giving in Luang Prabang - One Perfect Bite

Thai-Style Catfish - Plah Toht Kamin

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm told that plah toht kamin is a native Thai dish. I can't speak to the veracity of that because each time I've had the dish it was made by a French chef who was plying his trade in Southeast Asia. Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and, to a lesser degree, Vietnam seem to be magnets for French chefs. I suspect there are more of them in Southeast Asia than there are in France. The fusion of wonderful native cuisine with French technique and talent makes for some fascinating meals, and what native and French chefs are able to do with fish is really amazing. While most of the food we had in Asia was wonderful, our best meals in China were vegetarian and our best meals in Southeast Asia were fish or shellfish. I stopped by the fish market today to see what was available and found some gorgeous looking catfish fillets at bargain prices. I was determined to sidestep my usual blackened preparation and come up with something that, for us, would be new. I remembered the turmeric fried catfish we had in Thailand and Laos and set out to reproduce it. We had a lovely meal this evening. Fish prepared in this manner is really easy to make and can be on the table in about 30 minutes. The only remotely exotic ingredients are turmeric and fish sauce and they can be found in most large supermarkets. Bob really enjoyed this, so it will make an encore performance at the table in the next few weeks. I served the fillets with a Thai cucumber relish and sticky rice. I hope you'll try this. It is remarkably good. Here's the recipe.

Thai-Style Catfish - Plah Toht Kamin...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped shallot or scallion
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
1-1/4 pounds catfish fillets
Flour for dredging fish
Optional: Thai chili-lime sauce dipping sauce

Directions:
1) Place garlic, shallots, turmeric, sugar, pepper, salt, fish sauce and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the bowl of a small food processor. Process to a fairly smooth paste, using a small amount of water if necessary to bring ingredients together. Combine fish fillets and turmeric paste in medium bowl or baking dish, turning fillets to coat evenly with marinade. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature. The fillets can be marinated for up to 24 hours if covered and refrigerated.
2) Place about 1 cup of flour in a pie plate or cake pan. Dredge fillets in flour, shaking off excess. Heat reserved 2 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan set over medium-high heat. When a drop of water sizzles in pan, add fillets and cook, turning once, for 5 to 7 minutes depending on thickness of fillets. Be careful when turning. Transfer to a serving plate and serve with a Thai dipping sauce if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Chili-Lime Sauce:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh hot green chilies
1 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro

Directions:
Combine fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and garlic in a small bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Sprinkle with chilies and cilantro. Set aside. Best served at room temperature.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Thai Fish Cakes with Cucumber Relish from One Perfect Bite
Thai Cucumber Relish from One Perfect Bite
Thai Fresh Pea Soup with Green Curry from One Perfect Bite