Clam Cakes

Drain the shucked littleneck clams over a small bowl to catch all natural clam juice, then strain the collected juice through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any tiny shell fragments. Pat clams lightly with paper towels to wick off excess brine, then chop into rough 1cm (1/2-inch) pieces; set chopped clams and strained juice aside for later use.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the 240g all-purpose flour, 60g fine cornmeal, 10g baking powder, 3g kosher salt, 1g black pepper, 1.5g garlic powder, and 0.5g smoked paprika. Whisk continuously for 30 seconds until all ingredients are evenly distributed, with no visible clumps of baking powder or concentrated spice pockets.

Create a small well in the center of the dry ingredient mix, then add the beaten egg, 120ml whole milk, 80ml strained clam juice, and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Stir gently with a wooden spoon just until no dry flour remains—do not overmix, as this creates tough, dense cakes—then fold in the chopped clams until evenly distributed. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes at room temperature to allow the flour to fully hydrate.

Pour 1L of neutral vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or countertop deep fryer, and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches a steady 180°C (350°F) measured on a clip-on candy thermometer, which takes 8-10 minutes. Adjust stove heat as needed to hold this temperature consistently throughout frying to avoid burnt or undercooked cakes.

Working in 3-4 small batches to prevent sharp oil temperature drops, carefully drop heaped 15ml (1 tablespoon) scoops of batter into the hot oil, adding no more than 6 cakes per batch. Fry for 3-4 minutes total, flipping each cake halfway through cooking with a slotted metal spoon, until the cakes are puffed, deep golden brown on all sides, and cooked through to the center.

Use the slotted spoon to transfer finished clam cakes to a wire rack set over a paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain excess oil for 1 minute. Sprinkle lightly with a pinch of extra kosher salt while the cakes are still hot, then serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing over top.