Dish No. 77: Fried Ipswich Clams at Ed's Lobster Bar

By Sarah DiGregorio Wed., Aug. 11 2010 at 4:43 PM

Categories: 100 Dishes to Eat Now, DiGregorio

Stuff your belly with bellies.

Welcome to 100 Dishes to Eat Now, Fork in the Road's handy list of some of our favorite dishes -- old standbys and new finds alike -- compiled daily.

Today's pick: Fried Ipswich clams from Ed's Lobster bar (222 Lafayette Street).

These clams are certainly no bargain at $16 for seven of them, but to our taste they're undoubtedly the superior clams dug from the clam flats off Ipswich, Massachusetts, just off the Cape May peninsula. As much as we love the soft-shell clams harvested off Cape Cod, there's something about the plump, sweet Ipswich beauties that gets under our skin.

So here we have a pile of the fat clams, fried in a light, crisp cracker coating. The bivalves are so juicy and jiggly -- just barely cooked -- that they're almost unwieldy. Crunch into them and the bellies spurt copious brine with a wonderfully strong mineral tang. Tartar sauce liberally seasoned with chopped pickles comes on the side, but you hardly need it. What you need, really, is another order of clams.

Previously in the countdown:
Dish No. 100: Zaragoza Grocery's Flor de Calabaza Quesadilla
Dish No. 99: No. 7 Sub Shop's General Tso's Tofu Sandwich
Dish No. 98: Nigerian Goat Stew From Baku
Dish No. 97: The Captain's Daughter From Saltie
Dish No. 96: Bun Bo Hue From Thanh Da
Dish No. 95: The Beauty From Mile End
Dish No. 94: Potato, Egg, and Provolone on a Roll at Torrisi Italian Specialties
Dish No. 93: The Terrine Board at the Breslin Bar and Dining Room
Dish No. 92: Sausage and Egg Breakfast at La Bonbonniere
Dish No. 91: Roasted Carrots at Porchettta
Dish No. 90: Spicy Miso Ramen at Ramen Setagaya
Dish No. 89: Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie From First Prize Pies
Dish No. 88: Brown Butter, Corn, and Mushroom Linguine at Buttermilk Channel
Dish No. 87: Katsudon at Ennju
Dish No. 86: Fried Chicken With Two Sides at Soul Fixins
Dish No. 85: Fried Lamb Intestines at El Quinto Pino
Dish No. 84: Kunafa From Nablus Sweets
Dish No. 83: Potato Flatbread at Sahadi's
Dish No. 82: Chicken-Fried Chicken Livers at Cornbread Diner
Dish No. 81: Taleggio, Broccoli Rabe, and Sausage Panini at Bocca Lupo
Dish No. 80: Hamburger at M. Wells in Long Island City
Dish No. 79: Vanilla Malted at Brooklyn Farmacy
Dish No. 78: Seafood Combo With Hot Sauce From Randazzo's Clam Bar