RI Monthly lists top clam cakes

(WPRI) - They're a Rhode Island staple and the perfect summertime treats. They go well with a bowl of chowder and even taste great by themselves.

Clam cakes are a popular menu item and Michaela Johnson went searching for some of the best.

Rhode Island Monthly compiled a list of their top picks for clam cakes. Michaela’s first stop was at Quito’s in Bristol where it’s all about the proper technique.

“It’s how you use your hands to whip up that batter fast fast and make that batter nice and fluffy and that’s what makes it. If you start playing with the dough all the time it’s not going to come out right. You gotta make them like you got a passion for making something good,” said owner, Albert Quito.

On a quest to find the top cakes in Rhode Island, one must head to Narragansett, where they truly are a hot item.

“Our clam cakes are the best” said Tonia Durfee, manager of George’s of Galilee. “We're one of the original places that made clam cakes very popular and brought that idea to the masses so to say,” she added.

George's of Galilee makes their batter from scratch.

“Our clam cakes are made with flour, we don't use fritter mix. We use only dried clams. That means there are no chemicals in our clams,” said Durfee.

George's makes thousands of cakes during peak season.

“There's nothing better then the hot chowder and a clam cake on a sunny, sunny day,” Durfee said. “Everybody who comes here year after year, after year, that will tell you that the quality only improves and the taste stays the same,” she added.

Right next door is Champlin's Seafood where they make up dozens of clam cakes every day.

"Well, we're known cause we shuck our own hogs, we also grind our own hogs. We do use sea clams, we use both the combination of minced quahogs and minced clams and we use real clam juice in them also,” said Amanda Maybeck, restaurant manager.

The batter then made its way into the fryolator.

“We do go through a lots of clam cakes; I'd say we'd probably sell almost 60 dozen clam cakes a day” said Maybeck. “Rhode islanders know what they want. They want their chowder and clam cakes,” she added.

Not too far away is another local hot spot: Aunt Carrie's.

“We're one of the only people that still use lard, most people fry all their clam cakes in canola oil,” said kitchen manager, Phillip Perron.

“It's just the same stuff we've been using since 1920 when we first opened,” he said.

The ingredients for clam cakes and other menu items at Aunt Carrie’s are always fresh.

“Everything is very fresh, it comes from the day boats out of Galilee, I get seafood deliveries every day of the week,” said Perron.

All of the top picks can be seen in this month's issue of Rhode Island Monthly which is available on newsstands. The issue also touches upon the top doctors in the Ocean State as well.