This No-Frills Essex, Massachusetts Clam Shack Fries Whole Bellies Right Beside the Salt Marsh

There’s a trophy on display for the best fried clams, and it sits inside a modest little shack beside a salt marsh. I love that the prize lives somewhere this humble. The clams are whole bellies, fried with a light coating that lets their sweetness come through. Out back, picnic tables face winding tidal creeks and tall marsh grass.