Traditional Maine Clambake (Freeport, Penobscot, Stonington: wedding reception, buy, school) - (ME) - City-Data Forum

Maineah · 08-10-2009, 11:26 AM

A traditional Maine Clambake with clams, lobsters, corn on the cob, hot dogs and other goodies is a real treat. I got to thinking about the traditional clambake as I was hired by a friend to fabricate two large clambake plates for his camp on Orrs Island. A large steel sheet over a hot hardwood fire, lots of rockweed, layers of lobsters , more rockweed, clams, more rockweed, corn, rockweed, hotdogs a wet canvas over the whole deal and a supply of water to keep the canvas wet and make the steam for the food to cook. Putting on one of these bakes is a true art form. We had one at our wedding reception 26 years ago that came out perfectly. My friend knows what he's doing with a clambake as he has done it for 35 years or more. I have been to a good many clambakes and when done well there is nothing like it. For the uninitiated though it is a real easy way to ruin several hundred dollars worth of Maine seafood, corn, hotdogs, and disappoint a large crowd of family and friends. I won't for a minute pretend I know how to do a traditional clambake the proper way even though I have seen it done many dozens of times. Unfortunately I have suffered through several clambakes where everything tasted burned,the corn was mush, the lobsters dried out and the meal was a disaster. Just this past 4th of July the local clamdiggers did a benefit clambake at the fire station in Freeport. The lobsters were good but the clams were not . They tasted burned and I found them to be inedible. Very unfortunate when you're paying
$22.00 a piece for a shore dinner. How about you ....are you an expert? I'll bet The Mermaid knows some old islanders who can put on a good clambake!
Have you ever been to a disaster clambake?

Nor'Eastah · 08-10-2009, 05:24 PM

We usually do one every year on the 4th of July, but the rains were too bad down here, nobody was travelling anywhere. Now, summer has arrived, and we'll be doing our annual festivities on Labor Day weekend.

Ours has never turned into a disaster as you describe. But then, we don't add lobster - just clams and chourico (Portuguese sausage) with a few hot dogs for the kids. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, sea weed, all as you describe it. The melted butter is just superb with this stuff.

I think our version is correctly called a "New England Clam Bake" rather than the Maine variety. Never mind what you call it -- it's GOOD, always a hit! The broth is outstanding! Add watermelon for dessert!

Nope, been to a lot of 'em, and never found a disaster. We do ours on auto pilot, I think. I just get into the habit of doing what I do, while DW does what she does, automatically. It always comes out well, and we enjoy every minute of it!

Hey, Maineah...you got me dribblin' down my shirt!

deerislesmile · 08-10-2009, 06:29 PM

You should have been with us yesterday. My family went out to one of the islands in Penobscot Bay (Marshall Island, near Swan's) and had a wonderful picnic- my father cooked 3 kettles of lobster, and we couldn't finish the last one (I don't know if we even started on the 3rd one!). We were STUFFED!

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x320/fvkristyleigh/Marshalls09057.jpg (broken link) (Yours Truly in the last pic)

Maineah · 08-10-2009, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deerislesmile

You should have been with us yesterday. My family went out to one of the islands in Penobscot Bay (Marshall Island, near Swan's) and had a wonderful picnic- my father cooked 3 kettles of lobster, and we couldn't finish the last one (I don't know if we even started on the 3rd one!). We were STUFFED!

(Yours Truly in the last pic)

Great photos! Looks like an excellent time!

Maineah · 08-10-2009, 08:45 PM

When we cook lobsters and clams for a crowd I use two 15 gallon beer kegs with the tops cut off and two high pressure propane burners for the job. I can cook 30-35 lobsters and a bushel of bagged clams all at once. I cook corn in another 20 quart pot on a third burner if the corn is in. We did a lobster dinner at our Amvets Post last fall when the lobster price was way down. With those two kegs we cooked 175 lobsters in about an hour and a half. I've never burned clams,lobsters or corn in those kegs!

Maineah · 08-10-2009, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nor'Eastah

We usually do one every year on the 4th of July, but the rains were too bad down here, nobody was travelling anywhere. Now, summer has arrived, and we'll be doing our annual festivities on Labor Day weekend.

Ours has never turned into a disaster as you describe. But then, we don't add lobster - just clams and chourico (Portuguese sausage) with a few hot dogs for the kids. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, sea weed, all as you describe it. The melted butter is just superb with this stuff.

I think our version is correctly called a "New England Clam Bake" rather than the Maine variety. Never mind what you call it -- it's GOOD, always a hit! The broth is outstanding! Add watermelon for dessert!

Nope, been to a lot of 'em, and never found a disaster. We do ours on auto pilot, I think. I just get into the habit of doing what I do, while DW does what she does, automatically. It always comes out well, and we enjoy every minute of it!

Hey, Maineah...you got me dribblin' down my shirt!

New England, Maine it all sounds good to me. I LOVE the sausage idea and how could I forget the new potatoes! I have been to clambakes featuring whole scallops, mussels and even shrimp tossed in at the top. Very yummy! When you've done it for years I guess you know how to do it.

deerislesmile · 08-10-2009, 09:12 PM

What's the difference between a New England clambake and a Maine one? Just the sausage? *confused* (I always thought a traditional New England clambake was just the available shellfish, with the other stuff added in there by region or family tradition...?)

tankratt · 08-10-2009, 10:50 PM

You guys are killing me, man, all sounds good. Thank goodness for waterproof keyboards.

dmyankee · 08-11-2009, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deerislesmile

What's the difference between a New England clambake and a Maine one? Just the sausage? *confused* (I always thought a traditional New England clambake was just the available shellfish, with the other stuff added in there by region or family tradition...?)

Quahogs, conk, mussels, lobster, striper, bluefish, chicken quarters, sausage, chourico, linguica, new potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn. My family would throw together anything, often with a baked stuffed striper on the side!

maureenb · 08-11-2009, 01:27 AM

The weekly lobster bake on the Windjammer was always a favorite with crew & passengers. We'd buy lobsters in the afternoon, somewhere like Stonington, and sail up to say Brooklin (Wooden Boat School) or so, just one place there is a small island you can go ashore and have a bake.

The Schooner would anchor and the crew would ferry me & all of the stuff ashore. We hauled in our own firewood (which I read just today is a no-no when you are camping as it can introduce critters & bad microbes), and I would find a spot, hopefully on ledge, to build a fire under the old galvanized washtub. It went: seaweed, lobsters, seaweed, corn, seaweed, mussels, and seaweed. Mussels if the tide was right for picking (please, spare me red tide reprimands). In retrospect, I know we harvested seaweed from the rocks, and I'm wondering if this is still legal. Hmmm, was it legal then???

The crew would start ferrying passengers ashore after the fire was going. Folks wandered around exploring whatever idyllic little island we were on(and they hunted for the rock I told them they would need to open their lobsters; this always caused some low level panic, but we usually had shedders, so it was all in fun).

Honestly, I can't tell you how I knew the bake was done, but it was always perfect, and I say this with humility 'cause I know it just worked out in spite of me

We hauled half the galley ashore. There was a checklist - everything from salt & pepper shakers to toothpicks to graham crackers,etc for s'mores over the fire, and everything got loaded in milk crates that had held the firewood from earlier in the week. I made potato salad & cole slaw to go with.

Those that wanted to would hang out until the fire died down. I would go back to the boat right after the meal was winding up so I could make coffee and get out the dessert.

The only misfortune we had was losing thirty-five or so lobsters once. We carried them in heavy net bags. When we landed on the island, the deck hand would stake them out in the water. This one time, the knots came loose on both bags, and when the mate went down to fetch them, they had crawled. We made a good time of it anyhow.

Those weekly bakes were truly exceptional - sure fun remembering.