Cherrystone Clam And Corn Fritters

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Open the clams, and save both the juice and the clams. There should be about 2 cups of liquid and about 1¼ cups of clams. Put the clams on a flat surface and chop them until they are coarse-fine.

2. Step 2

   Shuck the corn, and cut the kernels from the cob. There should be about 1 cup.

3. Step 3

   Put the flour in a mixing bowl, and add the chopped clams, ¾ cup of the reserved clam liquid (the rest may be discarded or put to another use), corn, egg yolks, tarragon, baking powder, salt, pepper and Tabasco.

4. Step 4

   Blend well.

5. Step 5

   Beat the whites until stiff, pour them over the batter, and fold them in.

6. Step 6

   Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet, and when it is quite hot, add about ¼ cup of the batter at a time, keeping each fritter separated. Continue adding batter in this manner until the skillet is filled without crowding.

7. Step 7

   Cook about 1 minute or slightly longer on one side or until the edges of the fritters start to brown. Turn and cook 1 minute or slightly longer on the other side. As the fritters are cooked, transfer them to sheets of absorbent paper towels. Continue making fritters until all the batter is used.

8. Step 8

   Use about 2 additional tablespoons of oil for each batch of fritters. Serve the fritters with sweet red pepper sauce spooned over.