Article Directory

Preparing a real New England clambake involves hours of grueling, grubby labor. There are, however, a few tips to help you in completing the tasks more quickly and reducing the overall size of the chore. They will permit you to take as much pleasure from this festive event as your guests will.

When you go to a real New England clambake be prepared to spend the day on the beach. You will end up doing a lot of digging. You will need to prepare a 2-3 foot deep fire pit with rocks. A wood fire works best. When the rocks are about 400 degrees start lining the rocks with potatoes, seaweed, and delicious clams. Layer these all and top them off with another layer of seaweed. The last step is to cover up the clambake with a tarp and wait for about 3 hours.

It is possible to steam clams and other foods in a large steel pot on your stove. To bring a real beach flavor to your cooking, you'll still need a bit of seaweed and a few gallons of seawater. Line the bottom of the large pot with small rocks, then layer your clams, corn, potatoes and seaweed the same way you would in a pit. Allow the seawater to come to a boil, and steam them for 20 minutes.

The clams can also be grilled without seaweed or seawater, you can also grill the potatoes, though they may first need to be boiled as they take longer to cook then the corn and the clams. Use a charcoal grill and get the coals hot before adding the corn, the clams, and the half-baked potatoes.

Whatever cooking technique you settle on, remember to use soft-shelled mollusks in such categories as cherrystones or littlenecks. Do not prepare quahogs, which have hard shells. Best food hygiene calls for eating only those clams which pop open spontaneously as a result of cooking. You should not attempt to force open any unopened shells. Just throw them out.

You can hold your clambake on the beach or you can cook it on your own stove. Either way is good. Just be sure to take a few extra steps to make it special. An added live lobster is a real treat. Sausage or other foods can make the meal hearty. The most important addition is the time you share with your friends and family. That is what makes the unique tradition of a New England clambake especially memorable.