A wonderful marriage – home brewed dark amber beer by brewmeister Barbra and razor clam fritters by chef Jack. See the fritter recipe below.

Jack has been making razor clam fritters for years. He has culinary ties to the delicious shellfish from his life on the Oregon Coast. When we first visited Alaska, we dug the biggest razor clams either one of us had ever seen and promptly turned them into soups, pasta sauces, sashimi and fried dishes. These delicious beauties are something we try to stock in our pantry every year… we dig them ourselves or pick them up at our Anchorage Costco. The following recipe is tried and true. It’s been with us for years. We may change the seasoning up a bit, otherwise, we stick to the original, which has proved hard to improve upon.

To accompany our delicious fritters, we opted for our amber home-brew. It was only a matter of time before my yeastly attentions turned from bread to brew. Now that we live in a “damp” community, we are free to experiment with adult libations. Thanks to a company called Mr. Beer, I’ve been able to experiment with beer-making with great success. In addition to the amber beer (pictured above), we also are enjoying a slightly more complicated kit which yielded a robust, slightly-citrusy hefeweizen. We currently have a nut brown ale and a Mexican style lager fermenting. The beer we’re turning out would stand up nicely against any of the favorites we typically order in restaurants or buy at the package store. Brewing beer seems a natural addition to our kitchen. It certainly has been a tasty and satisfying compliment to our cuisine!

Clam Fritters: serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped clams
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chopped tarragon (or substitute dry tarragon or marjoram)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup clam juice
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp melted butter
• couple dashes cayenne pepper (to taste)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• oil for frying

Directions

1. Chop clams on a cutting board. Not too fine. Place them in a mixing bowl.
2. Add the egg, lemon juice, tarragon, cayenne, black pepper, baking soda and flour and lightly stir together.
3. Blend the clam juice and milk. Add gradually to the clam mixture along with the butter, continuing to stir. Do not make the batter too runny and do not over-stir.
4. Heat about 1/8 inch of oil in a frying pan.
5. Drop batter in the hot oil – about 2 tablespoons per fritter. (They’ll cook better if they’re fairly small.)
6. Turn when the bottom is browned, as you would for pancakes.
7. Finish cooking till golden-brown. Serve with a side of slaw and a favorite ale or lager.