Northwest Clambake In The Oven Recipes

NORTHWEST CLAMBAKE IN THE OVEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut two 24-inch lengths of aluminum foil and place on a flat surface in a cross-shaped pattern.
• Place the lettuce leaves in the center of the foil and top with the halibut fillet, then place the clams, mussels, and spot prawns on top.
• Place the potatoes, corn, snow peas, and yellow squash around the halibut, then pull up sides of the foil around the vegetables to form a bowl shape.
• Sprinkle the garlic over the seafood and vegetables, place the herb sprigs on top of the seafood, then drizzle clam juice over all.
• Bring the long sides of foil up until they meet in the middle and secure tightly.
• Fold the remaining ends to seal tightly.
• Place the packet on a baking sheet and bake I hour.
• To serve, place the packet on an individual plate and unfold or cut open the foil at the table for an informal presentation.
• Alternately, unfold the foil in the kitchen, transfer contents of the packet to a plate, and discard the foil.

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.

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.

ULTIMATE CLAMBAKE

Steps:

• Before you leave the house, put the potatoes and a few large pinches of salt in a very large pot and add water to cover; bring to a boil and cook until they are about half done, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a container to take with you to beach.
• Take all the ingredients to the beach, along with a shovel, a tarp, a few garbage bags, a bucket, some cheesecloth, a box of matches, lots of newspaper, firewood and kindling. Find a spot above the high-water mark and dig a 4-by-2-by-2-foot hole. Build a fire in the hole with newspaper, kindling and some wood. (Keep everything else upwind of the fire.) Feed the fire quickly and steadily with more kindling and wood.
• Find about 30 rocks, each 6 by 4 inches or bigger. Start adding the rocks to the fire, a few at a time, slowly over the course of about an hour, while continuing to feed the fire with wood. While the rocks are heating, gather enough seaweed to half-fill 2 or 3 garbage bags.
• When the rocks are white hot (this should take about an hour), stop adding wood but let the fire continue to burn. Meanwhile, make 8 to 12 cheesecloth packages, each containing a few of the clams, mussels and potatoes. Peel back the husks of the corn but don't remove them; remove as much of the silk as you can, then fold the husks back into place.
• Remove any remaining wood from the fire with a shovel; a bed of coals topped by a layer of white-hot rocks should remain. Immediately dump the seaweed over the rocks, creating a layer at least 2 to 3 inches thick; no rocks should remain exposed or you will burn the food (and maybe the tarp). Sprinkle the seaweed with about a gallon of seawater. Put the cheesecloth packages, corn and lobsters in a single layer on top of the seaweed. Cover the food in an additional layer of seaweed and cover the entire pit with a tarp, weighing the edges of the tarp down with rocks.
• Cook undisturbed for 30 to 40 minutes. Put the butter in a heatproof saucepan. When the seafood is ready, peel back the tarp and put the pan of butter on the fire until it melts. Remove the tarp entirely, transfer the food to serving platters and serve everything with the melted butter, lemon wedges and more salt.

STOVETOP CLAMBAKE

Steps:

• Combine onions, garlic, pale ale, and water in a 16-quart stockpot. Cover with a layer of seaweed (or place a steamer basket on top of onions). Add potatoes, chorizo, and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil. Add lobsters; cook over high heat, covered, for 15 minutes. Add clams and corn; cook, covered, for 6 minutes. Add mussels and shrimp; cook, covered, until clams and mussels open and shrimp are cooked through, 4 to 8 minutes.
• Remove seafood, corn, potatoes, and chorizo using tongs, and transfer to large platters or rimmed baking sheets. Discard seaweed and any unopened clams and mussels. Strain liquid through a sieve into a bowl; add butter, swirling to melt. Squeeze lemons over clambake.

STOVETOP CLAMBAKE

Steps:

• Bring about 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil in a large (8-quart) tall, narrow pot with a lid.
• Halve the potatoes (or quarter if large), then add them to the boiling water, cover, and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, shuck the corn, then cut it crosswise into quarters; cut the celery crosswise on a diagonal into 2-inch-long pieces; and scrub the clams.
• In this order, add the clams, then the shrimp, and finally the corn and celery to the pot. Cover and cook until the clams have opened and the shrimp is pink and just cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes more.
• Use tongs and a large slotted spoon to transfer the mixture to a large serving bowl. Squeeze the lemon on top and sprinkle with the Old Bay or Creole seasoning. Serve with butter for the corn and potatoes if desired.

RHODE ISLAND CLAMBAKE IN A BOWL

Steps:

• MELT the butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot with a lid. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
• While the onion cooks, Brown the sausage in a large skillet.
• ADD the sausage, potatoes, wine, and water to the onion. Bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are just tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
• STIR in the corn and bring to a boil. Season the broth lightly with salt to taste. Reduce the heat, add the clams, and cover the pot. Simmer until the clams open, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard any clams that don't open. Spoon the stew into large bowls and top with parsley. Serve with lemon slices, hot pepper sauce, and bread.