Beach, Backyard or Apartment
Critics will debate all day as to the top seafood recipe that was born out of the Northeast. Some say clam chowder, other the lobster roll, or perhaps a vote or two for baked haddock. However, there is one recipe that goes back centuries, and is indisputably the top seafood recipe of the Northeast.
The New England Clambake
Older than Thanksgiving and apple pie, this tradition was one the Native Americans began long before the Pilgrims came to the shores of America. The Wabanaki tribe of Maine would gather lobster, clams and mussels, adding potatoes and corn and bake them in pits they prepared in the area known as Ah-bays’auk, the clambake place. The area is now known as Bar Harbor.
According to historical lore, the Pilgrims learned about the clambakes by watching the Native Americans. By the late 1700’s, it became an adopted tradition and continued to become one of America’s favorite culture defining recipes. Here is how you can prepare your very own clambake.
Ingredients:
- 4 lbs of clams
- 8 baking potatoes
- 6 onions, peeled
- 10 ears of corn, husks on but silk removed
- 12 live and kickin’ lobsters
- 12 lemons, wedged
- 1 lb melted butter
- 1 Tarp
- Cheesecloth
- Plenty of seaweed
Directions:
- Dig a hole in the ground and cover the bottom with stones
- Build a fire on top of the stones, letting it burn for about 2 hours.
- say go to line the fire is burning, wrap each of the ingredients on the list in cheesecloth, and tie them all up.
- Once the rocks are hot enough to boil water on the surface, rake the coals back and add the first layer of seaweed.
- Place the food wrapped in cheesecloth on top of the seaweed and cover with another layer.
- Take the tarp and secure it over the entire pit, leaving a small opening for steam pressure to escape.
- Cook for about 2 hours or until the potatoes are
Enjoy your New England clambake!
Previous Clambake Articles:
Super Simple Clambake by the BBQ Pit Boys
Clambake Four Ways
by L.A. DiNardi
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