Clam juice facts for kids
Clam juice is the broth obtained from clams. It is prepared using the liquid collected from steamed clams. Clam juice is used as an ingredient in various dishes, as a beverage that is drunk in its whole form, and as an ingredient in various beverages.
Preparation
Clam juice is typically prepared from the liquid obtained from steamed clams. Clam juice may be prepared fresh or obtained in prepared bottled form. Some companies mass-produce prepared clam juice, which is made by steaming fresh clams in water with salt, collecting the extracted liquid known as clam extract or clam liquor, and then filtering it.
In 1937, William G. Frazier invented a clam opener devised to easily open clams and retain all of the clam juice, which was collected in a bowl. A patent for the clam opener was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on November 15, 1938.
Use in dishes
Clam juice is sometimes used in the preparation of clam chowder and other chowders. It may be used as an ingredient in various sauces and meat sauces, seafood dishes, in soup bases, and as a condiment to top foods, similar to the manner that fish sauce may be used.
Italian chefs sometimes use clam juice as an ingredient in seafood dishes and pasta sauces. It is sometimes used during the deglazing process in cooking. It may provide a mineral-like flavor to dishes, and serve as a substrate to assist in combining flavors present in a dish.
As a beverage
Some restaurants and bars in the US serve shots of pure clam juice. For example, the Old Clam House in San Francisco, California serves a shot glass of hot clam juice at the beginning of each meal.
The Everleigh Club in Chicago, Illinois, that was in operation from 1900 to October 1911, would serve iced clam juice and a tablet of aspirin as a starter for breakfast, which began at 2:00 in the afternoon.
Beverages with clam juice
Soda fountains
In the United States in the early 1900s, clam juice was used as an ingredient for various beverages at soda fountains. Beverages prepared with clam juice included hot clam juice, hot clam soda, hot ginger clam broth, hot celery punch, hot clam cream, clam night cap, tomato clam broth and others.
During this time, a recipe for hot clam juice used one-half to one-ounce of clam juice in an eight-ounce glass, the remainder of which was filled with hot water. Accompaniments included soda crackers, celery salt, salt and pepper. The beverage was sometimes prepared with the addition of milk or hot milk. The addition of a small portion of butter would enhance the flavor of hot clam juice.
Clamato is a mass-produced beverage prepared with tomato juice concentrate, clam juice and spices. It also contains high fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate, salt and ascorbic acid. Clamato is used as an ingredient in the Caesar cocktail. The michelada, a beer cocktail, is sometimes prepared using Clamato as an ingredient.
