Indoor Clambake

According to Michael Symon, Cleveland is the clambake capital of the world. Cleveland sells more clambakes than anywhere outside of New England. Don't ask me why, but we love them.

No, really, don't ask me, I don't know.

Well, OK, I might know why clambakes are so popular around here. They're perfect for a party. Everything comes out of a single pot - you can serve a crowd, and all the prep work happens ahead of time. Bring the big pot to a boil, drink a few beers, open the pot, and serve with lots of napkins.
*And melted butter. And bread. And more beer. And wine. And cups for the delicious, delicious broth.

Sure, you can buy clambakes pre-assembled from the grocery store or fish market. But why? They are easy to put together, and are much cheaper that way. Even better, you can add your own ingredients - my clambake has sausage, mussels and chicken in it.
*But, if you want to buy one at the store, that's OK too. A store-bought clambake is better than no clambake at all, I say. Especially if you get it from a good fishmonger - I've had excellent clambakes from Euclid Fish in the Cleveland area and BayLobster Fish Market in the Akron area.

I believe the broth is the best part of the clambake. The clams give up their juices while cooking, leaving liquid gold at the bottom of the pot. Now, most clambakes are boils, with a lot of water in the pot to start, so the broth is very…brothy.
*"Brothy" is a word, right? Right.

My clambake is more of a steam - I don't use much liquid. And, to add extra flavor, the liquid I use is white wine. The result is a heavier broth than usual - perfect for serving as a soup, or dipping hunks of bread.

*Note: This recipe makes a lot of food - it serves twelve big eaters, or sixteen normal people. (I fit into the big eater category, and we still had a lot of leftovers...)

Recipe: Indoor Clambake

Adapted From: Mark Bittman The Minimalist Entertains; the Clambake, Minus the Beach

Cook time: 40 minutes

Equipment:

• Really big stock pot (19 quarts or larger - I use my 24 quart All-Clad, which they don't sell any more, or my dad's massive granitware pot. Bonus points if you have a picture of a lobster on your pot.)

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
• 3 pounds new potatoes (I used fingerling potatoes)
• 72 littleneck clams
• 6 pounds mussels
• 8 ears of corn, shucked
• 1 chicken, split in half
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup water

Serving:
• 2 loaves french bread, cut into 1 inch slices
• 1/2 pound butter, melted
• lots of napkins

Directions:
1. Layer the ingredients in the pot: Build the clambake in layers. First the kielbasa, on the bottom of the pot. Then a layer of new potatoes, then clams and mussels, then corn, then chicken. Sprinkle the kosher salt evenly on the chicken. Pour the white wine and water over everything, then put the lid on the pot.
*Note: Check the clams and mussels to make sure they are tightly closed and not broken before adding them to the pot.



2. Steam the clambake: Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and steam for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is 160*F in the thickest part of the breast.

3. Brown the chicken: Remove the clambake from the heat. Put chicken on a roasting pan, then re-cover the pot to keep the clambake hot. Broil the chicken until the skin is nicely browned, about 5 minutes.

4. Serve: While the chicken is browning, move the corn to a platter, then remove each of the remaining layers to their own bowl or platter, using a slotted spoon to keep as much of the clam broth in the pot as possible. Pour the clam broth into a large pitcher, or ladle into individual coffee mugs for serving. Cut the chicken into eight pieces - drumsticks, thighs, breasts, wings. Give your guests large bowls to fill up with whatever ingredients they choose. Serve with the melted butter for dipping clams and mussels, and bread for dunking in the broth.

Variations:
*Add up to four 1 1/4 pound lobsters on top of the pot. Steam them for 20 minutes, then remove to a plate so they don't overcook. Make sure the pot is big enough, though; I wouldn't use a pot smaller than 24 quarts if you're adding a layer of lobsters to the top.

*More clams or mussels: I like a 50/50 mix; if you prefer one or the other, replace each dozen clams with a pound of mussels, or vice versa.

*If you can find petite sweet potatoes, use them in place of some of the new potatoes. (You can see this in my potatoes picture - I cut them up, but should have left them whole.)

*This recipe can be halved. It will fit in a 12 quart pot, and will serve six to eight people.

Notes:
*There is barely any seasoning in this recipe. A little Kosher salt on the chicken, and that's it. But it will taste amazingly seasoned. Why? It's a miracle of cooking. The saltiness of the clam and mussel brine, plus the kielbasa, will season everything in the pot.

*What wine should I use in the pot? I want a dry white wine, non-oaked, and cheap but drinkable. I look for sauvignon blanc or pinot gris. Or I ask the wine person at the store to recommend one - I say: "I need a dry white wine, no oak, cheap but drinkable because I'm using most of it for cooking", and I buy whatever they suggest. Then I pick up a few more bottles of sauvignon blanc, brut bubbly, and dry french-style Rose for drinking while we eat. Oh, and beer. Lots of beer.

*Most fish markets will sell you clams wrapped in cheesecloth, about a dozen a package, to make it easier to serve everyone a dozen clams. I cook the clams in those bags, then cut half the bags open and dump the clams on my serving platter with the mussels. That way, my my guests can choose whichever they like more. If they want a bag of clams, they can grab and go. If they want to, they can mix and match. I favor the mussels myself, so my bowl is heavy on the mussels, with a few clams.

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Related Posts:
Mussels with Spanish Chorizo
Grilled Paella with Shellfish, Chorizo and Chicken

Adapted from:
Mark Bittman The Minimalist Entertains; the Clambake, Minus the Beach


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