The Memorial Day weekend is the official start of summer for New Englanders so as to pre-order a taste of what’s to come, we decided to hit a summer favorite: The famous clam shack. There’s nothing like some fried seafood to put the rainy days of spring in the rear view, if you know what I mean.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day… sunny, dry, and in the 70s. It was a great seacoast day if there ever was one. We made our way over to Essex, Mass., to visit a clam shack that was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. Most clam shacks are located right on a busy road so that hungry travelers can execute the classic culinary hit-and-run and still be back at the office with time to spare.

J.T. Farnham’s, known for its fried clams, was our destination. It was an absolute blast. Located on Route 133 in Essex, this shack has the classic weathered gray exterior and lots of outdoor seating overlooking beautiful coastal waterways.

So what did we have? Fried seafood.. I had the fried clams, the famous ones no doubt, and Ralph had another one of his standards, fish ‘n’ chips.

It was simple. It was delicious. The clams were so sweet and came with an excellent coleslaw – that’s it. For the fish ‘n’ chips, they used haddock instead of cod, and it was very light and fresh. Teaching moment: Haddock freshness is determined by how well the fillet holds together. If it crumbles apart, it’s not fresh. If it’s like a salmon steak, it’s good to go

Anyway, both meals were delicious (there’s that word again) and I think the batter recipe is the key. It seals up the fish nice and tight and keeps everything hot and moist.

I don’t know… Sitting out in the warm sun eating clams while overlooking the ocean is a sweet day… Just sayin’

We finished our hit and run and made our way back to a roadside farm stand we saw, which is another New England summer standard. We picked up some homemade pie, local honey, eggs, blueberries, and whatever else we could get our hands on at the time.

Once we finished giving farmer John all our cash we made our way over to Crane’s Beach where we used to go as kids. It’s a family favorite because the beach is well cared for, clean, and very natural. Part of it is a conservation area where the dunes and the birds within are all protected.

To finish off the day trip we stopped in at a local farm / winery so we could just take in the smells and appreciate what the rest of our summer was going to be like! All in all this was an awesome New England summer day and was worth the time it took to get to the coast and enjoy all it has to offer.