From the Kitchen of: Jessica Brainard
Yankee Style New England Clambake
Traditional New England Clambake shore dinner for an enthusiastic crowd, Yankee Style.
The Fire:
Dig a 4 foot deep by 6 foot wide shallow pit in the sand on the beach. Wide enough to hold food for the size of your crowd. Gather Rocks, firewood, and seaweed. Line pit with stones, about the size of a head of lettuce, and build a bumper blazing fire in the pit alternating firewood with more stones. The stones are heat and settle as fire burns down. Light a fire and put the large rocks in the pit, let the fire burn for 4 hours. The heat in the stones must cook your clam dinner so get ’em HOT! While the fire burns, get your food ready. When the fire is ready, rake off embers, then cover stones with 6 to 8 inches of seaweed (rock weed’s dandy). Place the chicken wire over the pit. Cover the chicken wire with seaweed. Pile on food clams first, then another layer of seaweed, lobsters, more seaweed, corn, potatoes, onions, and a final layer of seaweed. Cover with a tarp, wet burlap, or wet canvas. fasten edges down with stones, and pile sand on top to hold in the steam. You can also put the food into the potato sack (the old mesh style kind not the plastic kind). Leave the husk on the corn while cooking then remove the husk after cooking.
HUSK: Remove the stem and leaves with a knife. Seal with large canvas material and or a tarp and place large rocks on top so it won’t blow off. Let it steam for 1 hour. Season with pepper, salt & butter. Doneness test; Open the shell of the nearest lobster. If he’s ready so is the whole bake. Now open up the with a little Yankee fanfare-pink lobsters, corn in husk, flavorful onions. Serve clams and lobsters with melted butter (in a clam shell for real atmosphere) Offer crisp relishes, and always watermelon, and complete your meal with potato salad or a tossed salad, toasted buttered rolls, and warm apple pie…This is great for coastal style family reunions. Check the weather report to make sure rain is not in the forecast.
Materials
- Rocks/Hot Stones
- Firewood
- Lighter fluid
- Large Canvas
- Seaweed
- Chicken wire
- Potato sacks
- Charcoal
- Tarpaulin
INGREDIENTS
- Clams; Scrub well use sea water, if your near the ocean making sure all the sand is removed from the shells. Allow 2 quarts of clams for each hungry guest. (a bushel serves 15.)
- Oysters
- Fish; wrapped in paper, foil, or leaves to hold its shape and flavor.
- Lobster; Allow one pegged live lobster for each person.
- Corn; Strip back husks and remove the silk and replace husks.
- Sweet Potatoes; Use medium sweet potatoes, well-scrubbed. You bake em in their jackets.
- Crab;
- Sausage or franks; wrapped in foil or paper to keep fat from running on other foods.
- Onions; Baked in their skins.
- Butter
- Salt
- Pepper
Savory Basting Sauce
1-cup of melted butter
2-Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
3- cloves of minced garlic
1/4 Tablespoons of crushed Red Pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Baste seafood, chicken, steaks or vegetables for grilling or broiling.
Seasoned Salmon Steaks
6-Salmon steaks (1 inch thick)
1/2-cup of butter
2- tablespoons
2-Teaspoons of Italian Seasoning
3-Tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2-Teaspoons of garlic powder
1/2 Teaspoons of grated lemon peel
a dash of cayenne pepper
HUSH PUPPIES
3 Cups of white or yellow corn meal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups of buttermilk
2/3 cups of water
Combine dry ingredients and onion. Add buttermilk and water. Stir just until corn-meal mixture is moistened. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls into deep hot fat or into a skillet used to fry fish. Fry till golden brown, turning once about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Service at once. Makes 70-80. Down South, you’d choose white corn meal…
Mixing Food 