Regularly served at clam shacks throughout New England, fried clams are a delicious appetizer made with clams which have been dipped in milk and corn flour, then deep-fried. The appetizer is typically prepared with whole soft-shell clams, which have a fuller flavor than regular clams.

Although clams have been fried since 1840, the modern version of deep-fried, breaded clams is credited to Lawrence Henry Woodman from Massachusetts, who supposedly created the first version of the dish in 1916.