Food&Drink
Summer feast
Clam
bake
words by // Food Network Star Nikki Martin
/GrillNextDoor |
/MzNikkiMartin |
/GrillNextDoor
What better a way to kick off the summer
than with a weekend with friends, a hot grill
and cold drinks. One of my favorite summer
pastimes is when I lived on the East Coast,
where Sundays meant clam bakes. People
would come in droves to the sandy banks
& sea grass lined beaches to cook clams on
the low tide and sip beers at sunset. Now, I
know not everyone lives near the east coast
or a beach for that matter so time to take this
clam bake to your own backyard! Here is my
favorite way to bring the Natucket Shore to
your picnic table:
How To Do It:
Feed 6 People:
Transfer the shellfish, sausage and vegetables
to bowls or platters and serve with the lemon
wedges, melted butter and Old Bay Seasoning.
Ladle the clam broth into large bowls and
serve with the crusty bread.
• 2 Pounds small new yellow-fleshed potatoes
• 1 Pound andouille sausage or chorizo, sliced
crosswise 1/2 inch thick
• 1 50-count bag littleneck clams
• 2 1 pound bags steamer clams
• 2 Lemons, 1 cut into 6 rounds and 1 cut into
6 wedges
• 5 - 6 Cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 1 Bunch fresh thyme
• 2 Pounds shell-on large shrimp
(about 45 pieces)
• 4 Small Lobster Tails
• 4 Ears corn, broken into 2 or 3 pieces each
Preheat your Grill to high. In an 18-inch
roasting pan, add the potatoes, sausage and 4
cups water. Place on the grill, close the grill lid
and bring to a boil. Add the clams; scatter the
lemon rounds, garlic and thyme on top. Cover
with foil or the roaster lid, then close the grill
lid and cook for 15 minutes. Stir well, add the
shrimp, lobster tails and corn, cover, close the
grill lid and cook until the clams open, 10 to 15
minutes.
Tips:
• Set out bowls melted butter for dunking, as
well as empty pails for guests to toss shells
into.
• Tape some old newspapers to your table and
let the guests go to town- plates or no plates.
The mess will be super easy and quick to clean
up- down throw papers right into the trash!
• Melted butter, for dunking
• Old Bay seasoning, ( a Must Have)
• Crusty bread, for dunking and slurping those
tasty juices
• Keep the feast casual and outdoorsy with
a hands-on & get messy rule- Let guests use
fingers or seafood picks instead of forks.
FHM
Fishhound Mag | Page 28