A dish from Craig Claiborne
Claiborne's shore dinner of clams, lobster, corn, and potatoes steamed over seaweed in a pit or a big pot.
Serves 4
Claiborne grew up on the Gulf Coast but adopted the New England clambake as an emblem of American abundance, and his Times recipes translated the beach pit into a home kitchen with a steamer and a lot of newspaper.
Produce
Meat & Poultry
Dairy & Eggs
Other
Scrub the clams and potatoes. If you are cooking outdoors, line a pit or a large pot with seaweed or wet cheesecloth.
Layer the potatoes and sausage first, then the clams and lobsters, and finally the corn, adding a little seawater or salted water as you go.
Cover tightly and steam over high heat for 20 to 30 minutes, until the lobsters are bright red and the clams have opened.
Discard any clams that stay shut, and serve everything straight from the pot with melted butter and plenty of napkins.
Adapted from The New York Times Cookbook. View a published recipe at Leite’s Culinaria (opens in a new tab)
A clambake at East Hampton · East Hampton, Long Island