To Belly, or Not to Belly: That Is the Question

It's not summertime in New England until you've had your first clam roll of the season.

The crummy weather--with all the rain and cool temps--may be making it feel like fall, but yesterday truly felt like July, thanks to the clam roll fry-ups Mumma and I had for lunch that also doubled as dinner.

For the uninitiated, a clam roll consists of a butter-toasted hot dog roll filled to overflowing with fried clams and served with a mountain of fries or onion rings and a ton of tartar sauce on the side.

You have two options for the clams: strips or with bellies. If you're a newbie to the clam-roll culinary experience, you'll probably want to go with the strips option, which are just the fried muscly part of the clam. They look a little like fried rubber bands, but they taste good. (They're fried, after all...how could they not be good?) If you're an experienced clam roller or feeling brave, go for the clams with bellies, which are just what they sound like: clam strips with the bellies attached. The bellies look like little balloons, and they're filled with...well...stuff you'd find in a clam's belly. When you bite down on them, the bellies pop gently and release the taste of the sea.