Fritters—they are what you make them

Clams and ham go together wherever they grow together. Clam fritters and ham—Saturday night supper. But fritters themselves—that’s a bigger story. It’s what you do with a bit of leftover crab meat, a few chopped clams or oysters, a scraped ear of corn, some shredded greens, even that last crab cake, deconstructed! There’s a major debate over a bit of grated onion. And it’s what you do to make all that go a little further—say a couple of extra hungry kids hanging around. Here’s a traditional church cookbook recipe—add whatever, and make it your own. Grill some ham slices, or serve alone. Recipe makes about 1 dozen fritters. Good with tartar sauce, seafood cocktail sauce—some folks even pour on syrup.

• 3 eggs, beaten well
• ¾ cup pancake flour (or gluten-free, or regular flour)
• 2 generous tsps baking powder
• salt and pepper
• 1 to 1 ½ cup seafood/vegetable mix

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and pepper—then add a little at a time to eggs, mixing well after each addition. Batter should be fairly thick. Add seafood/vegetable mix. If batter gets hard to mix, add milk, a little at a time. Heat about ½ inch of cooking oil in heavy pan until drop of water spits. Drop batter by generous tablespoons into pan (they either look like little pancakes or squashed ping pong balls—both OK). Turn once to golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and keep warm. Pan may need more oil for next batch—make sure oil is hot.

The Kitchen Hive