[2][4] The clams are dipped in evaporated milk, then coated with some combination of regular, corn, and pastry flour.

[7] Fried clams are mentioned as early as 1840,[8] and are listed on an 1865 menu from the Parker House hotel.

[9] Nineteenth-century American cookbooks describe several different dishes of fried clams: The modern deep-fried, breaded version is generally credited to Lawrence "Chubby" Woodman from Essex, Massachusetts.

He used clams he had collected himself from the mud flats of the Essex River, located close to his home.

He sold these to Howard Johnson's in an exclusive deal, and as the chain expanded, they became popular throughout the country.