Today's Case:
Snow's Clam Crisps
Re: Snow's Clam Crisps
From: BB
To: Phaedrus
Date: 1/15/2025, 4:46 PM
On 1/15/2025 11:38 AM, BB wrote:
Looking for a recipe for Snow’s Clam Crisps, sold in cans in the 1960’s.
Hey BB, please give your first name when making a request.
I had never heard of "Snow's Clam Crisps." That seems odd because they were supposedly made in Pine Point, Maine, which is less than 20 miles from where I live. My wife is a native Mainer and she'd never heard of them, either. We're certainly old enough to have heard of them.
First, I want to make a distinction or two. These are not fried clam strips, although some restaurants call their fried clam strips "clam crisps" or "clam chips." These are more like little crackers, I think.
The short answer is that I had no success finding anything like a recipe to make them, nor did I find a description of how they were made. Snow's, based in Boston, MA, was well known for their clam products, which they still known for, although they are owned by Bumblebee now: Snow's
However, their clam crisps appear to have been discontinued in the 1960s. This made a lot of people unhappy, but apparently sales were not enough to make the product profitable.
There is a good article about the crisps here: Dave's Cupboard
Another distinction that needs to be made is regarding the "clam crisps appetizer" recipe that's in several places on the web. While this may be a very good appetizer, it's not even similar to Snow's crisps.
The Humpty Dumpty Potato Chip Company sold "Sour Cream and Clam Chips" for a while. They weren't much like Snow's product, but they were quite a popular snack in the Northeast. They, too, were discontinued after a few years.
Other products with similar names were "Seachips Clam Chips" which seem to have come and gone even before Snow's crisps. The only trace of them seems to metal advertising plaques in antique collections. I also saw an ad for "Lawson's Clam Chips", but that appears to be an Asian product that may never have been available in the U.S..
Finally, there is a recipe called "Stormwatcher's clam crisps" in a cookbook called "Retro Happy Hour: Drinks and Eats With a 50's Beat" (page 72) by Linda Everett. It's mentioned here: Stormwatcher's Clam Crisps It appears that you might be able to access that recipe by becoming a member of that "Eat Your Books" website. I am not a member of it. Up to you if you wish to try. A better choice might be to purchase a used copy of the book at Amazon for less than $5.00. Remember, though, I am not saying that recipe in that book produces Snow's Clam Crisps or even something close. I am going by the name of the book and the fact that it has recipes from the 50's and the name of the recipe. You will have to get the book and see. You may even have to make the recipe in the book to know for sure if the end result is similar to Snow's. See:
"Retro Happy Hour: Drinks and Eats With a 50's Beat" by Linda Everett
Phaed
