CLAMTOWN FRY

Hangtown fry: A famous oyster-and-bacon omelette invented in California during the Gold Rush, reputedly on the request of a miner who struck gold and demanded the most expensive meal money could buy.

Clamtown fry: A breakfast invented on the fly one March morning on the Olympic Peninsula, where members of the Quinault tribe harvest razor clams by hand and smoke the meat over alderwood fires before canning them.

Breakfast enjoyed on the cabin porch, steps from where elk gather to cross a shallow spot in the Hamma Hamma river.

Cooked at the source: Hama Hama Oyster Company (Lilliwaup, WA): March 10, 2022. Adrienne Anderson

• The basic idea

  Cut a few strips of bacon into 1-inch pieces and cook them over medium-low heat to render the fat. Pour off excess fat and leave about a tablespoon in the skillet.

  Whisk a half dozen eggs with a pinch of salt, then add a can of chopped smoked razor clams (no need to drain them) and several turns of freshly ground black pepper. Add a little minced garlic to the bacon fat in the skillet and cook briefly until fragrant, then add the egg mixture and cover to cook on low until the eggs are fully set. From time to time tilt the pan to help uncooked eggs flow to the edges, lifting the edges of the omelet with a spatula to let the eggs run over the edge.

  Garnish with scallions cut into matchsticks.

• Ingredient list

  To serve 2-4

  • 2-3 strips bacon

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 6 eggs

  • 1 can chopped smoked razor clams (available from Hama Hama Oysters)

  • 2 scallions

  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Steps

  1. Cut 2-3 strips of bacon into 1-inch pieces.

  2. Add the bacon to the nonstick skillet of your choice (about 10 inches in diameter) and turn the heat to medium.

  3. Cook the bacon until crisp-tender.

  4. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat and leave the bacon in the pan with it, heat off.

  5. Whisk 6 eggs with a pinch of salt until the eggs are fully mixed.

  6. Add 1 small can of chopped smoked razor clams to the eggs (no need to drain the clams).

  7. Mince 2 cloves of garlic.

  8. Return the pan with the bacon to medium heat and add the garlic; cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

  9. Add the egg-and-clam mixture.

  10. Cover and cook over medium heat until the eggs are fully set. From time to time, remove the lid, lift the edges of the omelette with a spatula, and tilt the pan to let uncooked eggs flow onto the hot surface of the pan.

  11. Cut 2 scallions into long, thin strips, then cut the strips into pieces the length of matchsticks (about 2 inches).

  12. Garnish the omelette with the scallion sticks and serve warm or at room temperature.