Indoor Clambake Recipes

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.

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.

STOVE-TOP CLAMBAKE

Steps:

• Into a large pot or large kettle, pour about 3 to 4 inches of water. Add the salt, and a few handfuls of seaweed to come quarter way up the pot.* Nestle the lobsters on top of the seaweed. Layer the corn, sausages and potatoes and then the clams on top, and cover with a lid or tin foil.
• Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, and then turn down to medium, and steam the 'clambake' for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the clam shells have opened wide and the lobster has turned bright red. Scoop out all the pieces onto a serving platter, cut the lobster tail from midway through to the end and open up for ease of eating with your hands!
• Serve with bottled hot sauce, lobster crackers and a pot of warm compound butter for dipping and slurping.
• To make the garlic-chive butter: Mince the garlic and add to the soft butter in a bowl. Mince the fresh chives, and add. Squeeze the lemon juice over top. Add a pinch of salt. Stir to incorporate. Place half of the compound butter on a piece of wax paper, shape into a log and roll up, twisting the ends to secure shut. Place the other half on another wax paper sheet, roll up, and refrigerate.
• To make the lime butter: Combine the butter, lime zest and lime juice in a small bowl, Stir to combine. Place the butter on a piece of wax paper, shape into a log and roll up, twisting the ends to secure shut, and refrigerate.
• To make the smoked paprika butter: Combine the butter, paprika, hot sauce and salt in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Place the butter on a piece of wax paper, shape into a log and roll up, twisting the ends to secure shut, and refrigerate. Just before serving, cut a hunk off the butter log and place in a small saucepan to melt for the lobster and clam dipping pot. Place the remainder back in the refrigerator for later use.

INDOOR CLAMBAKE

Steps:

• Place potatoes in large saucepan; cover with cold water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook just until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
• Into each bag or cheesecloth pouch, put: 2 potatoes, l ear corn, 1/4 of steamers, 1/4 of mussels, 1 piece sausage, 1 lobster, and 1 egg. Gather bags or pouches together and tie closed with kitchen twine.
• Fill 5-gallon pot with 1 inch of water and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add steamer rack or enough rockweed to keep clambakes elevated. Cover and bring to rolling boil.
• Gently layer bags in pot. Nestle extra egg in a central position where it's easily retrievable. Cover tightly and steam 15 minutes, maintaining water at full rolling boil. Uncover pot, set aside extra egg, and gently rearrange bags from top to bottom to promote even cooking. Replace egg and re-cover pot.
• Steam additional 5 minutes, then retrieve extra egg and crack open. If it's hard-cooked, clambakes are done. If egg is not yet cooked, steam bags an additional 5 to 10 minutes. (If you're unsure, untie one bag and test with another egg). When done, lobsters will be completely red. Transfer each bag to large plate and serve immediately.
• To serve, divide melted butter among 4 small cups and season to taste with salt. Ladle some broth from pot into 4 small bowls. Cut open bags. Discard any steamers or mussels that have not opened and loosely arrange food on plates. Sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning. Place one cup of butter, one dish of broth, and one lemon wedge on each plate. Have bowls for shells and plenty of napkins at the ready.