Maine’s Date of Statehood – March 15th, 1820
One of my favorite things about visiting the beach is getting to enjoy fresh seafood. So, if seafood is what you are after, Maine is the place to be! With miles and miles (and MILES) of coastline, you’d be hard pressed to find a better place to sample the glorious bounty of the ocean. This simple indoor clam bake has EVERYTHING; clams, mussels, shrimp, lobster, corn, and potatoes. And, since it is cooked in simple salted water, the flavor of these treasures really shines. I honestly think it’s the best lobster tail I have ever had. Cheers to Maine!
Tips and Tricks
- When choosing clams and mussels, look for unbroken shells that close when they are tapped. If an open clam or mussel does not respond, it is most likely dead and should be thrown away.
- Be sure to gently scrub the outside of the clams and mussels (and remove the beard) to get rid of any grit. To remove the beard from a mussel, grasp it and pull towards the hinge of the shell.
- Allow the clams and mussels to soak in clean, cool water for 20-30 minutes before cooking. This allows the bi-valves to cycle out the sand as they breathe, resulting in less gritty seafood.
- This recipe originally calls for 2 whole lobsters but, honestly, it’s just not worth the incredible expense and messy deconstruction. I recommend getting lobster tails and, if you can, precooked lobster claws. At my grocery store, whole live lobsters were about $30 EACH while lobster tails were $9.99 each and the claws were about $0.75 each.
Stove-Top Maine Clambake
Serves 2-4
- 1 lbs. Small Red Potatoes, scrubbed but left whole
- 2 Tbs of Coarse Sea Salt
- 2 Lobster Tails
- 4 Pre-Cooked Lobster Claws
- 20 Littleneck Clams, scrubbed well and soaked in cool, clean water
- 2 Ears of Corn, shucked and halved
- 2 lbs. Mussels, debearded, scrubbed well, and soaked in cool, clean water
- 1 lbs. Raw Large Shrimp, shell-on
- 1 Sticks of Melted Salted Butter, divided
- 1 Lemons, quartered
Step 1: Fill the bottom of a large, 16-quart stock pot with 3 inches of water. Add the 2 Tbs of salt and the scrubbed potatoes. Place the pot on the stove and turn the heat to high. Cover and bring the water to a rapid boil.
Step 2: Once boiling, cook the potatoes for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Add the corn, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
Step 4: Add all the seafood, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally, or until the lobster shells are bright red, the shrimp are pink, and the clams and mussels have opened. Remove the seafood, potatoes, and corn from the pot and arrange on a plate or serving bowl. You can cook any unopened clams and mussels for an addition couple of minutes, but if they do not open, just throw them away.
Step 5: Serve hot with individual dishes of melted butter for dipping and lemon wedges.
Blueberry Salad
Serves 4
Dressing
- 1/4 Cup Orange Juice
- 1/4 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tbs Champagne Vinegar
- 1 Medium Shallot, minced
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Salad
- 1 Package Spring Mix Lettuce
- 1 1/2 Cups Fresh Blueberries
- 1/2 Red Onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 6 Large Leaves of Fresh Basil, chopped
- 1/4 Cup Slices Almonds
Step 1: In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, olive oil, champagne vinegar, minced shallot, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, blueberries, red onion, chopped basil and almonds until well combined.
Step 3: Serve cold with the dressing on the side.
Fun Facts about Maine: 1. Approximately 40 million pounds of lobster is caught off the coast of Maine, accounting for nearly 90% of the country’s supply. 2. 99% of the blueberries produced in the US come from the Pine Tree State. 3. No one knows exactly how Maine got its name; its etymology is something of a mystery. Some believe it was shorthand for the “mainland,” used by sailors differentiating it from islands off the state’s coast. Others believe it was named for the French province of Maine. 4. Maine has its own desert, which spans 40 acres outside the town of Freeport. Though its silt hills are now a popular tourist attraction, the desert originally developed as a result of over-farming in the area. 5. Most of horror writer Stephen King’s books are set in Maine. A native Mainer, King has set novels like Pet Cemetery, It, and Salem’s Lot in small Maine towns. He wrote his first novel, Carrie, while working as a teacher in Bangor, Maine. 6. Founded in 1794, Bowdoin College is the oldest college in Maine. Its famous alumni include renowned poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and writer Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Edible U.S. 