Clam Fritters with Island Hot Sauce

Recipe Summary

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• Canola oil
• 1/2 pound clams, cleaned, cooked, and diced
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 6 eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 6 1/2 cups flour
• Hot red pepper sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 quart vegetable oil, for frying.
• Island Hot Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

In a saute pan, add canola oil and heat. Add the conch, onion, and garlic and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.

Make the batter by combining the eggs, milk, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, beating and incorporating until all is used and the batter is smooth. Season with hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the parsley and the cooled conch mixture.

Heat the oil to 360 degrees F. Drop the batter, a heaping tablespoon at a time, into the oil. When the fritters pop to the surface, roll them around in the oil to brown them evenly. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve with Island Hot Sauce.

Island Hot Sauce:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 Scotch bonnet peppers, halved and seeds and stems removed
• Vegetable oil
• Water, to cover
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, add more or less, to taste
• Kosher salt

Sweat the onion, carrots and peppers in vegetable oil until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Cover with water and add vinegar. Simmer until the carrots are very tender. Puree in a blender and season, to taste, with vinegar, and salt. Thin, as necessary, with more water.