I’m not sure what is the greatest pleasure: digging razor clams, eating them, or simply enjoying the beauty of the ocean, the beach at dusk, or sunrise with its rainbow spectrum of colors. Or the cornucopia of sensations, each a special moment, each a gift.

Editor’s Note

This is David Campiche’s recipe for clam fritters. An incomplete version of it was printed in the March 9 issue of Coast Weekend.

I love razor clams, and this has been a banner year. Like most human beings, I fry (sauté) them by the dozen. Generally, it’s a triple-dip recipe: first rolled in flour and shaken; second, egg dip (total immersion); and finally the cleaned clams are rolled in a spicy Panko breading and then fried until golden in olive oil. The taste is hard to beat. But then, this preparation isn’t particularly healthy. Better to quick fry them in virgin olive oil—au naturel—each side salted and peppered and quickly served with any number of toppings.

But tonight, I wanted something else. I thought of those clam cakes I ate on the waterfront in Baltimore, years ago. They were little balls of pleasure, deep fried, redolent with the salty perfume of ocean and, of course, the clams, a taste all their own. Well, today I experimented. I added a slew of vegetables to the batter, thin sliced and briefly sauteed in a quarter inch of olive oil. I then sauteed each fritter until the cakes turned golden and the inside was no longer doughy.

We concocted a spicy mayo with Hatch chili powder, mayo and chopped shallots. Added a splash of tomato puree or ketchup, and a little bit of balsamic to sharpen the taste.

Everyone at our table loved the alternative. Here goes.

Ingredients:

8 or 10 razor clams, cleaned, sliced and chopped, though not too fine

6 tablespoons olive oil

½ onion, diced

½ bell pepper, sliced thinly

2 stalks of celery, sliced into 1/8 inch shreds

1 teaspoon finely minced ginger

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

4 cups flour

3 beaten eggs

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup clam broth or fish stock

½ cup of beer

Dash of chili sauce or Tabasco

Teaspoon salt or to your taste

2½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons corn starch

Serve with remoulade, Cajun mayo, or tartar sauce — your choice.

Preparation:

Thin slice the vegetables. Sauté them in a couple tablespoons of olive oil with the garlic and ginger until they are barely softened (2-3 minutes). Mix the dry ingredients. Mix the wet. Marry together with the vegetables. You may wish to spice up. A teaspoon of dried Italian spices is a good alternative. A tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley or dill is also pleasant.

Sauté the fritters in olive oil over medium heat until the crust turns golden and interior is done. Lay out on paper towels to absorb the extra oil. We served ours with a Cajun mayo as well as a tartar sauce. With the clams, we oven-roasted thickly sliced and peeled sweet potato along with slices of delicatta squash w hich were all doused with olive oil and seasoned with chopped fresh garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Sublime!