The Great Clam Cake and Fritter Guide

One of the East Coast’s more beloved and affectionately derided food is the clam cake or clam fritter. Fans clamor for these clam-studded savory beignets that are served as an appetizer to a possibly even more calorie-filled fried fish dinner or paired with a chowder for a "light" lunch. Clam cakes and fritters—despite their bad nutrition, frequent greasiness, and seasonal availability (or, actually, because of these things)—are the focus of countless "best of" articles, blogs, jokes, contests, fund-raising dinners, sampling crawls, and T-shirts. This fun little guide takes on the cultural history of clam cakes and fritter, tells you where to find the best ones, and how to make and enjoy them at home.

Carolyn Wyman is the author of seven food books, including The Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Book, The Great Philly Cheesesteak Book, Better Than Homemade, Spam: A Biography, and Jell-O: A Biography. Her nationally syndicated Supermarket Sampler column appeared in newspapers across the country for more than 20 years. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Boston Globe. She writes, heats, and eats in Philadelphia, PA.