'Clamwich' introduces us to surf clam. Tell us your food finds
Take sushi-grade surf clam the size of a single-serving cutlet, dredge it in coarse panko-style bread crumbs, pan fry it, dress it in herb mayonnaise and greens and serve it up on a toasted hamburger roll, and what you have is a one-of-a-kind in Chicago.
Or so says Bill Dugan, owner of the FishGuy Market, 4423 N. Elston.
(Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times)
He calls the creation a "Clamwich" and has added it to his tiny takeout menu, right there next to the fish tacos, lobster rolls and fresh tuna fish sandwiches.
"I'm not trying to be a sandwich shop," Dugan explains, but he is trying to get people to expand their culinary horizons.
So for $8.95, diners will get a taste of the surf clam -- which Dugan has supplied to such high-end Chicago restaurants Charlie Trotter's and Spiaggia.
Neither the mayonnaise nor the greens (the arugula adds a peppery flavor) overpower the sandwich, so what you have are clams that taste like clams. Dugan's sandwich is the only one of its kind in Chicago, he believes, because his supplier is sending him a special species of clam not commercially harvested. But this clamwich is a modern, sophisticated take on the fried clams popularized by Howard Johnson's, the restaurant chain once 800 strong but with just a handful of outlets on the East Coast today.
Dugan's surf clam is actually a hard-shell clam that hails from Cape Ann, about 30 miles north of Boston. (The surf clam also is referred to as muki in sushi bars and typically is served as a sashimi.)
His supplier takes the best meat from the clam, which weighs about a pound to 1 1/2 pounds when it's pulled out of the chilly Atlantic waters. By the time it arrives in Chicago, the clam meat has been cleaned, tenderized and turned in to a cutlet.
For sometime now, FishGuy shoppers could get the make-at-home cutlets at the market. But after showcasing it at the market's occasional restaurant, Wellfleet, and getting rave reviews, he decided to create the affordable "clamwich."
One recommendation: Call ahead (773) 283-7400 to make sure it's in stock. The bonus is it will be hot and ready to go when you get there.
Curious about an unusual edible or kitchen tool? Want to share some mysteries in your own cabinets? E-mail the Food Detective at ldonovan@suntimes.com.