New England Clambake

Recipe by Anna Gill

QUANTITIES:
Allow per adult:
1 small (1 pound) lobster
1 ear of fresh shucked corn
2 to 3 new potatoes
6 to 12 Little Neck clams
3 to 4 tablespoons of melted butter
1 lemon, cut into wedges
If you are using other options such as sausage, onion, mussels, shrimp or chicken, adjust the amounts accordingly.

PIT CLAMBAKE:
• Have the pit dug either early in the morning or the previous day.
• Have a sufficient number of reasonably flat stones chosen, sea-washed, dried and ready.
• Have a canvas tarp large enough for your pit opening. Soak it in seawater for at least an few hours (canvas does not easily absorb the water) but overnight soaking is better if possible.
• Either have plenty of charcoal available, or enough driftwood, time and patience if you wish to be “authentic”.
• Gather enough seaweed for the number of layers you will need. It is best to keep the seaweed in a net in the water until it is needed. If seaweed is not available, there are stores that carry frozen seaweed. Alternatively, you can use layers of corn husks or large leaf lettuce, like Romaine.
• Light your charcoal at least two hours before you begin to add your layers of food. If you have chosen the driftwood method, it will have to have burned to glowing coals two hours before the food layering.
• You may wish, for the sake of convenience, to add a layer of cheesecloth or netting under each layer of food. It will allow you to remove the food groups all at once in an easier fashion that one piece at a time.
• The food items that require the longest cooking time, such as potatoes, go into the initial layer, decreasing as the layers rise and the cooking time is reduced. The clams and corn should be at the top.
• If you have heated your stone lining sufficiently, you will need approximately 20 minutes of cooking time after the tarp has been placed over the food filled pit.
• Have plenty of potholders, oven mitts and long handled forks available for the bake masters.
• Have plenty of napkins and a tub of soapy water available for the diners. They will also need picking forks and lobster or nutcrackers to extract the lobster meat. Long toothpicks can stand in for the picking forks and in a pinch, don’t forget pliers and vises.

PITLESS CLAMBAKES:
• Have a stable charcoal grill large enough to accommodate your steamer. The actual coals can be fired on the ground in a campfire arrangement and topped with a footed iron grill surface. What is critical is its stability.
• Choose your steamer according to the number of people you intend to feed. You may also use a clean, water-tight, metal garbage can, or any large metal canister with a flat bottom and a cover.
• Add two inches of salted water to your steamer.
• If you are using a metal container designed for another purpose, you will need to add a grate on the inside to raise your food levels above the water level. Depending on the size of your container, a two inch high cake rack can be helpful. Some recommend the use of upended tin cans that have had their tops and bottoms removed to support the layering.
• You may wish, for the sake of convenience, to add a layer of cheesecloth or netting under each layer of food. It will allow you to remove the food all at once in an easier fashion that one piece at a time.
• The food items that require the longest cooking time go into the initial layer, decreasing as the layers rise and the cooking time is reduced. The potatoes should be in the bottom layer and clams and corn should be at the top.
• While the layering sequence is the same as a pit clambake, the timing could be exceedingly different, depending on the amount of heat your fire can generate. The best clue is when your clams are fully open.
• Have plenty of potholders, oven mitts and long handled forks available for the bake masters.
• Have plenty of napkins and a tub of soapy water available for the diners. They will also need picking forks and lobster or nutcrackers to extract the lobster meat. Long toothpicks can stand in for the picking forks and in a pinch, don’t forget pliers and vises.