Baking on the beach

September 2024

By Jean Kerr

Since my 24th birthday (an alarmingly long time ago), we have celebrated late summer with a clambake. I always thought our clambakes were pretty unorthodox in that we steamed everything in a large metal trash can. (I was always quick to point out to new guests that this is “the clambake can” and is not used for any other purpose.) It turns out that while the trash can thing may be unusual, “cooking in the washtub” is pretty common – at least in Down East Maine – and a good deal simpler (and less sandy) than the traditional method of digging a pit, lining it with stones, building a large wood fire, burning the wood down to heat the stones, adding seaweed and food, covering it all with a wet tarpaulin and steaming it for hours. That takes the best part of a day. My way takes only the best part of an afternoon. Should you wish to take the purist’s route, however, there are excellent instructions in the iconic “The Joy of Cooking.”

Here’s my method: We start out by scrubbing, but not peeling, Maine potatoes and wrapping each in foil, one medium potato per person. Then we shuck the corn by pulling off the darker green leaves of the husk, and pulling back but not detaching the softer inner leaves to expose the silk. Pull the silk off and wrap the inner husk around each ear. This protects the sweet kernels and makes a convenient handle when pulled back after cooking. Corn shucking is a good task to delegate; with a cold beverage in hand, most people are happy to help.

Around this time we dig the fire pit. It’s about one foot deep and three feet across. Lining the pit with big flat rocks keeps the moisture out and gives the pot something firm to sit on. Build a good, hot wood fire in the pit, preferably using enough hardwood to keep the fire going for a couple of hours. It’s got to be hot enough to boil seawater, which boils at a higher temperature than unsalted water.*

Then head off to collect a bushel of rockweed from tide pools or rocky parts of the beach.** You can distinguish rockweed by the little bubbles or “poppers” in the strands. Rinse the rockweed well. You’ll need it as you cook. You’ll also need sturdy pot holders and at least one strong helper.

Now you want to get about eight to ten inches of clear seawater in the bottom of the “kettle.” Lug it back, put it on the fire, and cover it till the water comes to a rollicking boil.

Put enough rockweed into the can to cover the bottom. Throw the foil wrapped potatoes on top.** Add more rockweed. Cover the can and let it steam/boil for about 10-15 minutes. If you want to throw in some whole onions at this point, they give a nice flavor to everything and taste great.

Next come the lobsters. We use pound to pound-and-a quarter “bugs” because they are plentiful and cheap in the high season, it’s easy to find soft shells, and they fit on a standard plate. Throw in the lobsters and cover with more rockweed. Put the lid back on and steam for another 10 minutes or so.

Throw on the ears of corn in their green husks and cover with rockweed. Cook for fifteen minutes. Add clams, preferably tied in individual cheese cloth bags for ease of removal, and again add rockweed. Steam just until the clams open, another five to ten minutes or so. Throw out any broken or unopened clams. During this last step we melt a pound of butter in an old enamel pot at the edge of the fire.

When everything is ready – and the timing here is more art than science – use tongs to decant everything into foil trays. Have everyone grab a plate and dig in. It will be quiet for a while.

Author’s notes

*We finally invested in a couple of huge lobster pots and gas burners that simplify matters considerably, but are not useful for post-prandial s’mores or warmth.

** “Under state law, harvesting is not allowed in conservation areas, state parks and federally owned lands. In addition, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled in 2019 that rockweed is the private property of the adjacent upland landowner, so that landowner permission is required for any harvesting on private lands.”

Maine’s the perfect place for a bake

Internationally revered as the finest sword boat captain ever (not to mention the only female captain to this day), bestselling author and entrepreneur Linda Greenlaw wrote about the pleasures and challenges of a DIY clambake in “Recipes from a Very Small Island,” which she wrote with her mother, Martha Greenlaw. They advise: “Make sure your selected [clambake] site meets at least two of the following criteria:

• There is absolutely nowhere to sit down.
• The beach is comprised of round rocks that shift when stepped on to insure poor footing.
• There are sheer, jagged cliffs in the area for children to play on.
• The immediate area is void of driftwood so that burning material has to be dragged some distance.
• You are in view of at least one neighbor who will report you to the fire warden for “burning without a permit.”
• Almost all of these are easily achievable along the rocky coast of Maine, or on many of Maine’s coastal islands.

New England lobster casserole

Invariably there will be a few leftover lobsters. People don’t show up, or once they’re there decide they’re vegan. This is not a problem, but an opportunity. Obviously, you can make lobster rolls, but there are other options like this one popular in the 1800s. This recipe is adapted with permission from the Maine Lobster Promotion Council.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 pound cooked lobster meat, cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup of lobster stock
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup crushed butter crackers like Ritz
• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. In a saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Whisk in the flour and dry mustard and cook for about 2-3 minutes on low.

3. Stir in the milk and lobster stock and bring to a simmer and cook until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Melt the remaining butter and sauté the mushrooms until soft and golden. Stir in the lobster meat, garlic. Remove to a buttered baking dish.

5. Add the remaining butter and melt. Stir in crumbs and chopped parsley. Top the casserole with the crumbs.

6. Bake until bubbly and golden brown on top.

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