New England Clambake Delicious Seafood Delight

There's nothing like a New England clambake for cooking fresh seafood, including lobster, crab, mussels, clams, and quahogs. Often the seafood is augmented with onions, carrots, corn, sausages, potatoes, and more. The New England Clambake is generally held to mark special occasions all over the shoreline of New England.

The classic recipe for a New England Clambake starts with gathering seaweed along the shore; it's a vital ingredient for helping to prepare the food. You will need a container large enough to hold the seaweed and a goodly amount of sea water. You will also need several round stones, medium in size, to be heated in the pit. Stones, or often cannon balls, are used to absorb and radiate heat in the cooking process.

Finally, as expected when steaming food, a cover is applied to trap the heat and steam which will completely cook the food. Sea water-soaked potato sacks or canvas tarps are frequently used for this purpose as they will prevent the majority of air from escaping, therefore allowing the food to cook thoroughly.

Steaming creates a harmony of various flavors because it allows all of the ingredients to merge and blend slowly. It does this without over-cooking, which is very important when preparing shellfish since different types require different cooking times. Though the preparation time for squid is much longer than that of fish, which itself is much longer than that of shrimp, steaming allows diverse ingredients to be cooked together with a much lower risk of overcooking any of the individual contents.

Fresh seafood is definitely preferred, in order for the bake to be a worthy bake. The New England Clambake is really not much different than a Cape Cod Clambake. The ingredients are pretty much the same and the Cape Cod Clambake uses the same methods as the New England one.

Many people will attest that a clambake is one of the greatest culinary experiences that one may have. There are so many great foods and cuisines that one can argue endlessly about which is the absolute greatest. However, there's no disputing that a clambake is perfect for any true lover of seafood.

Fresh Seafood, including lobster, crab, mussels, clams, and quahogs are cooked at the New England Clambake. This event barely differs from the Cape Cod Clambake. Both clambakes use very similar ingredients. The classic recipe starts with gathering seaweed along the shore. You will also need several round stones, medium in size, to be heated in the pit. A cover is absolutely necessary to cook by steaming. When you cook using steam, it causes the juices of each individual ingredient to mingle as they collectively heat. What results is a grouping of tastes that cannot be achieved through any other means.

- Matthew Lewis