Don’t Let Summer Leave Without a Clambake
Add a few hydrangea blooms or begonia cuttings in pretty cans to decorate your table for your summer clambake.
Here we are in the final leg of summer’s race, and what a lovely race it is. With lazy, hazy days, warm ocean temps, Jersey tomatoes and seafood aplenty, life is good. It’s so good, we should throw a party. In fact, let’s get adventurous and host a clambake. Clams, shrimp, mussels, corn on the cob and baby potatoes tossed with butter and Old Bay, then grilled all together, tastes like summer on a plate. So, fire up the grill and let’s get started!
Of course, traditionally the way to enjoy a clambake is on the beach with dinner cooking in a kettle filled with seaweed over a driftwood fire, but it doesn’t need to be there. If you’re lucky enough to be on a beautiful barrier island with the beach mere steps away, the backyard or deck will work just fine. Embracing the simplicity of the beach, the décor for this event will be minimal. Forget the fancy table settings for this hands-only meal and go with brown paper on picnic tables and colorful bandana napkins for clean-up. Surely you can pluck a few flowers from the yard (or a neighbor’s – invite them!). A few hydrangea blooms or begonia cuttings in pretty cans are just right for this gathering. Recently, I began saving cans from local brewery beers when I noticed how pretty many of them are, and I now have locally sourced, repurposed table décor! Scatter the cans with blooms on the table or tables in a charming, less-than-perfect pattern for a pretty, casual look. As far as the rest of the table setting, we could make it a hands-only event by piling the bake right on the center of the table and skipping the spoons and forks. The only problem with this is that we miss out on the seafood broth strained from the pan and it’s just too good to discard, so we’ll use some sturdy disposable bowls and spoons as well as a few big bowls for tossing the empty shells. Place a few shakers of Old Bay on the table for those who like a little more spice, and that’s it.
With the stage set, let’s get busy with the meal. Because a backyard party is about hanging out with friends and family – not being held hostage by the grill – prepping ahead is everything. Once that’s complete, the whole thing really is a breeze. Everything will be cooked on the grill, and though it might produce a little waste, a great big foil pan (be sure it fits on your grill) is the key to easy success, just as long as you cover it tightly with a heavy-duty aluminum foil to create the necessary steam for cooking this masterpiece. You’ll also need some kind of a liquid to create steam so everything can cook up nicely. Wine, broth or water will work, but beer is the best. I like to go heavy on the clams, even doubling the number you think is necessary. After all, it is a clambake, and it seems guests enjoy plucking out the last ones as they linger over good conversation with good friends. One more addition, because the broth from this bake is so delicious, I also like to offer big crusty bread slices for dipping. No butter necessary, just place baskets of hearty slices around.
Ruby Humbert with her ice cream cone.
The beauty of this meal (aside from the deliciousness) is that the sides are already on the grill, so we can move on to dessert. Since we are serving authentic seashore food, nothing is more quintessentially seashore than ice cream, and an ice cream cone just screams summer, so good old-fashioned ice cream on a cake cone it will be. If you want to, have both vanilla and chocolate options. Assign a willing guest to scoop and assemble, and provide a few DIY sprinkle options (or jimmies for the South Jerseyans) and dessert becomes an activity. I love keeping guests engaged in the process, and most guests love it, too. For the health-conscious dessert eaters, offer another summer staple – watermelon. Just have the whole melon available and slice it while guests watch, offering large slices. This is how watermelon is meant to be eaten – outdoors, with juice dripping.
Finally, let’s offer a signature drink. Start with a selection of beer – local beers to support the small breweries and to stock up on your casual vase selection – but a little tomato-based cocktail also seems right. How about a Bloody Mary with a shrimp garnish and a sprinkle of Old Bay, if you can handle a little more. Yum. A pitcher of herbed water would be nice to soothe all of that Old Bay. Because the mint in my garden is really plentiful right now, I will use some cuttings. I’ll snip some of the flowered stems that need to be trimmed anyway and make a pretty pitcher of mint water – so refreshing.
There you go. You’ve hosted a clambake, and best of all, clean-up is so easy. Toss the foil pan, shells, the brown paper from the table and the watermelon rinds, then sit back and soak in these final weeks of summer. It really is true when people say that once July Fourth is over, the summer seems to fly by. And sure, the fleeing of the season is one reason we cherish it so, but let’s make it a really slow race to the end. Last one there wins!
Best Bloody Mary
Ingredients:
• 1 46-ounce container tomato juice (about 6 cups)
• 6 ounces vodka
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons), plus 6 lemon wedges for garnishing
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 5 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco
• Ice
Directions:
In a large pitcher, stir together all the ingredients except the lemon wedges and ice. Use as a base or serve in 6 ice-filled glasses and garnish each with a lemon wedge, celery or a shrimp.
Clambake on the Grill
Makes dinner for 4 to 6 (Double or triple ingredients for a crowd.)
Ingredients:
• 1 pound raw shrimp, large, cleaned, deveined with tails on
• 2 ears of corn cut into quarters, uncooked
• 1 dozen littleneck clams
• 1 dozen mussels (there will always be some that won’t open)
• 4 red or white potatoes cut into about 1½ inches uncooked or you can microwave them for 1 minute to give them a head start
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 cup or so of cherry tomatoes sliced in half
• 12 ounces of smoked sausage (optional)
• 1 bottle of beer, your choice
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 tablespoons (at least), Old Bay Seasoning
• 6 tablespoons butter
• lemons, parsley or chives for garnish
Directions:
Preheat grill on high. Mix all ingredients in a large foil pan. Top with beer, wine, broth or water, butter and seasoning. Cover tightly with heavy-duty foil (be sure to cover tightly to steam all ingredients). Let meal steam on high heat for 20 to 25 minutes. Pour off broth to serve in bowls.
Serve.
