New England Clambake Provides Lots Of Delicious Food

If you like seafood, you'd definitely enjoy an opportunity to taste the traditionally-prepared goodies at a New England clam bake. Lobster meat, mussels, crabs, and clams are steamed in a specially-dug pit in the sand along the New England coast. After placing smooth stones and wet seaweed in the bottom of the pit, the fresh seafood is cooked as part of a holiday celebration.

Wood is lit on fire, arranged on a group of rocks, and allowed to burn until it becomes ash. These ashes are cast aside, whereupon the heated rocks actually cook the food. It's important to ensure that the fire burns out quickly—preferably after the desired temperature has been achieved. Thuen, the stones are swept clean of ashes, and arranged so that the bottom is insulated.

The kelp and other marine plants can be located around the waves and placed over the stones. Typical items then placed over that include corn in its natural casing, tubers, scallions and seafood in the shell. Finally, and additional covering of seaweed is placed over everything. A canvas doused in salt water is then set over the entire pit, which encloses the high temperatures. After an afternoon or evening of beach fun, you and your friends will now have a one of a kind treat!

It takes an entire day to do the cooking for a New England clambake. Some people think its fun to undertake the cooking themselves. Others, however, prefer to hire professional clambake caterers to do the work for them. Most cooks use a large pot for clambake cooking, because many areas won't allow people to build fires on the beaches.

In a traditional New England clambake, the food is heated in a pit that is dug on the beach and lined with rocks. This method was in use in the New England area before the English arrived. There are other alternatives, like the New England Clam Boil, which uses a metal pot to cook the food, rather than a pit.

You might wish to try a lobster clambake. It can be prepared outside, in a metal container, or inside in large pots. If you wish to skip cooking, hire a professional who will bring his own equipment, and even set the fire it is cooked over. A relatively recent addition is the finished clambake which can be picked up or delivered.

If you like traditional methods of cooking, then the New England clambake method may be something to try at your next summer gathering. If you have access to a beach where you can light fires, some firewood, and smooth stones then you can have a clambake. Traditionally, one digs a pit in the sand, covers it with smooth stones, and then firewood on top. Light the fire, let it burn to heat the stones. Clear away the ashes and lay seaweed on top of the rocks. Toss in your lobster meat or other seafood, cover with another layer of seaweed and you have your own lobster clambake.

- Matthew Lewis