Easy Summer Clambake Recipes

EASY SUMMER CLAMBAKE

Steps:

• Make herb and garlic butter:
• Blend all ingredients in bowl. Season butter with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Make vegetables, sausages, and seafood:
• Place clams and cornmeal (to help purge clams of sand) in very large bowl or pot; fill with enough cold salted water to cover clams. Set aside at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Place 12-inch square of cheesecloth on work surface. Place celery, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns in center. Roll up and tie with string. Place bouquet garni in large (at least 18-quart) pot. Half-fill pot with cold water and bring to boil over high heat. Add 1 lobster headfirst; cover pot. Boil until lobster is almost cooked through and shell turns bright red, about 8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer lobster to bowl. Repeat with remaining lobsters.
• Add potatoes and onions to pot. Ladle off cooking liquid into large bowl, leaving enough to cover vegetables; reserve liquid in bowl. Bring liquid in pot to boil. Cover; cook potatoes and onions 10 minutes. Layer sausages and corn atop vegetables. Cover; cook until potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes.
• Rinse clams thoroughly. Arrange clams atop corn and sausages. Place lobsters atop clams. Cover pot tightly with lid or, if necessary, cover tightly with overlapping large sheets of foil. Boil until clams open, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Transfer lobsters to work surface, shell side down. Place tip of large knife in center of 1 lobster. Cut lobster lengthwise in half from center to end of head (knife might not cut through shell), then cut lobster in half from center to end of tail. If necessary, use kitchen shears to cut through shell. Repeat with remaining lobsters. Mound clams (discarding any that did not open), lobsters and sausages on large platter; reserve cooking broth in pot. Surround seafood with corn, potatoes and, if desired, onions. Sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley; garnish with lemon wedges. Cover with foil to keep warm.
• Melt seasoned butter in saucepan; divide among 6 ramekins. Discard bouquet garni from pot. Taste broth; season with pepper. Add some of reserved lobster cooking liquid if broth is too salty. Bring broth to boil; divide among 6 soup cups. Serve seasoned butter and broth alongside vegetables, sausages, and seafood.

KITCHEN CLAMBAKE

Steps:

• Slice the kielbasa diagonally into 1-inch thick slices. Set aside. Saute the onions and leeks in the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed 16 to 20 quart stockpot over medium heat for 15 minutes, until the onions start to brown.
• Layer the ingredients on top of the onions in the stockpot in this order: first the potatoes, salt, and pepper; then the kielbasa, little neck clams, steamer clams, mussels, shrimp, and lobsters. Pour in the white wine. Cover the pot tightly and cook over medium-high heat until steam just begins to escape from the lid, about 15 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and cook another 15 minutes. The clambake should be done. Test to be sure the potatoes are tender, the lobsters are cooked, and the clams and mussels are open. Remove the lobsters to a wooden board, cut them up, and crack the claws. With large slotted spoons, remove the seafood, potatoes, and sausages to a large bowl and top with the lobsters. Season the broth in the pot to taste, and ladle over the seafood, being very careful to avoid any sand in the bottom.

SOUTHAMPTON CLAMBAKE IN A CAN

Steps:

• Place the butter, white wine, garlic, tarragon and 1/4 cup parsley in the bottom of a 10-quart stockpot with insert and place the steaming insert on top. Add to the pot in the following order: potatoes, corn, reserved corn husks, lobsters, clams, shrimp, mussels, sausages, remaining 1/2 cup parsley and bacon. Cover with the lid and turn the heat on high until the liquid boils, then lower the heat and simmer on low until all the contents are cooked but not overcooked, approximately 25 minutes. Serve in the can or pour out onto a large platter. Serve with the lemons on the side.

EASY STOVETOP CLAMBAKE FROM MARTHA'S ONE-POT BOOK

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, bring wine and 1/4 cup water to a boil. Add garlic, shallots, potatoes, and red-pepper flakes, if using; cover and cook 8 minutes. Add corn, clams, and lemons; cover and cook until clams have opened, 10 to 12 minutes. Add shrimp in a single layer, cover, turn off heat, and let sit until shrimp are opaque throughout, about 3 minutes.
• With tongs or a spider, transfer shellfish and vegetables to a serving platter, setting lemons aside for serving; discard any unopened clams. Strain broth through a sieve into a bowl, and whisk in butter, parsley, and oregano. Scrape flesh from half the lemons into broth, discarding skins. Serve shellfish and vegetables with remaining lemons and broth for dipping.

CLAM BAKE

Steps:

• Place a potatoes in a layer in the bottom of a large pot. Cover with a layer of clams, then mussels, and finally the shrimp. Pour in the vermouth and enough chicken broth to fill the pot halfway. You may not need all of the broth, depending on the size of your pot. Cut a half cup of the butter into cubes and place on top of the seafood. Cover with a lid, and seal tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat, and carefully remove the foil and lid. Remove the seafood and potatoes from the liquid and serve on a large platter, family-style.
• Melt 1/2 cup of reserved butter, and divide into 4 individual dishes for dipping. Serve with French bread and remaining softened butter for the bread.