New England Favorites
Its all about the fresh ingredients. Here is the seafood that counts:
One Pot Clambake
INGREDIENTS (Shop Our Clambake Ingredients)
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- 1 750 milliliters bottle dry white wine
- 2 1/2 pounds small new potatoes, about 1 inch in diameter
- 8 live lobsters, about 1 1/4 pounds each
- 8 large eggs
- 8 ears of corn, husked, halved
- 4 celery stalks, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 pounds spicy smoked andouille sausage from To-Table
- 2 lemons, quartered, sliced
- 1 orange, quartered, sliced
- 1 head of garlic, cloves separated
- 1 large bunch thyme
- 4 pounds steamer clams, scrubbed
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, melted
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Special Equipment
- You'll need a 30-quart pot
PREPARATION
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- Place a steamer pot in 30-quart pot. Add wine and 12 cups water; cover and bring to a boil. Add potatoes; cover and cook 5 minutes. Add lobsters and eggs; cover and cook 10 minutes. Gently nestle corn and next 6 ingredients in pot. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Add steamers, cover, and cook about 10-15 minutes until shellfish open, (discard any that do not open). Peel 1 egg and cut in half. If it's hard-boiled, lobsters are ready.
- Using a slotted spoon and tongs, transfer clambake to a very large platter or a table covered with newspaper. Pour broth from pot into small bowls, leaving any sediment behind. Serve clambake with broth and melted butter.
LOBSTER BISQUE
Ingredients (makes 8-12 Servings)
4 1.25-pound live lobsters4 tablespoons olive oil
2 onion, sliced
2 large celery stalk, sliced
2 small carrot, sliced
2 garlic head, cut in half crosswise
2 tomato, sliced
4 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
4 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
16 whole black peppercorns
1 cup Brandy
1 cup dry Sherry
8 cups fish stock or bottled clam juice
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup whipping cream
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoon water
Directions
- Bring large pot of water to boil. Add lobsters head first and boil until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer lobsters to large bowl. Reserve 4 cups cooking liquid. Cool lobsters.
- Working over large bowl to catch juices, cut off lobster tails and claws. Crack tail and claw shells and remove lobster meat. Coarsely chop lobster meat; cover and chill. Coarsely chop lobster shells and bodies; transfer to medium bowl. Reserve juices from lobster in large bowl.
- Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add lobster shells and bodies and sauté until shells begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add onion and next 8 ingredients. Mix in brandy and Sherry. Boil until almost all liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add fish stock, reserved 4 cups lobster cooking liquid and lobster juices. Simmer 1 hour.
- Strain soup through sieve set over large saucepan, pressing firmly on solids. Whisk tomato paste into soup. Simmer until soup is reduced to 6 cups, about 15 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
- Add cream to soup and simmer 5 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water. Add to soup and boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Mix lobster meat into soup and stir to heat through. Ladle soup into bowls.
New England Clam Chowder
Ingredients
6 dozen Fresh Clams, scrubbed
6 thick slices Pork jowl bacon, cut into lardons
1.5 large onions, cut into 1/4 inch dice
Kosher salt
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice
4.5 tablespoons flour
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 bundle of thyme
3 bay leaves
2-3 shakes hot sauce, optional (recommended: Tabasco)
Dram of Sherry
Extra-virgin olive oil
Place the clams and 1.5 cup of water in a large pot. Cover and place over a high heat and cook the clams for 6 to 7 minutes. Uncover and remove the open clams.Cover the pot again and continue cooking the clams that haven't opened yet. Cook the clams for another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and discard any clams that have not opened. Strain the liquid from the pot through a mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter and reserve.
Coarsely chop the clams and reserve.
Drizzle a few drops of olive oil into the bottom of the clam pot and toss in the bacon. Bring the pan to a medium heat. When the bacon has let off a lot of fat and become brown and crispy, toss in the onions and season lightly with salt. Cook the onions until they are very soft and aromatic but have no color, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions and potato mixture and stir to combine. Gradually whisk in the reserved clam juice. When the clam juice has been whisked in and there are no lumps, whisk in the milk and heavy cream and toss in the bay leaves and thyme. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.
Toss in the reserved clams. Taste and re-season if needed and add hot sauce and sherry if using.
Seared Scallops with Salmon Caviar
Ingredients
Directions
Lobster Rolls
Ingredients
2 lemons, halved
Sea salt
4 1 1/4 -to-1 1/2-pound live To-Table lobsters
1/3 cup mayonnaise
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 top-split hot dog buns
1/4 cup roughly chopped celery leaves
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
Directions
Fill a large steamer or pot with about 2 inches of water. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the water, then add the lemon halves and 1 tablespoon sea salt to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Place the lobsters in the steamer basket or directly in the pot; cover and steam until the shells turn bright red, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pot with tongs and rinse under cold water to cool slightly.
Remove the meat from the lobster shells: Twist off the claws, then break off the tail. Pull off the flippers. Insert your thumb into the flipper end of the tail and force out the meat. Crack the claws with the flat side of a knife or a lobster cracker; remove the meat. Roughly chop the lobster meat. Transfer to a bowl and chill 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the mayonnaise, 4 tablespoons melted butter and the juice of the remaining lemon in a large bowl. Add the lobster meat and toss to coat. Season with salt.
Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Brush the outside of the hot dog buns with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Toast the buns until slightly golden, about 1 minute per side. Divide the lobster salad among the buns. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle with the celery leaves and celery salt.
Steamed Mussels with Wine, Garlic & Parsley
Ingredients
- 3-1/2 to 4 lb. Fresh Bouchot mussels
- 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 6 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1-1/2 cups dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or any other crisp, herbal white wine
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Good-quality crusty bread, sliced or torn into pieces, for serving
Directions
Rinse the mussels well under cold water. Pick them over, pulling off any beards and discarding any mussels that are broken or gaping open.
In a large pot with a lid, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallots, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant and soft but not colored, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the mussels, wine, and half of the parsley. Increase the heat to high, and cover the pan. After 2 minutes, remove the lid and toss the mussels well with a large spoon. Cover the pot again and cook until the mussels have opened wide, another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the remaining parsley, give the mussels a final toss, and divide the mussels and the broth among bowls. Serve the bread alongside.
Steamed Clams
Ingredients
6 dozen fresh Steamer clams
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup white wine
2 cups clam juice or water
Chopped parsley leaves
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
Directions
Wash the clams thoroughly and remove any blemishes. Heat oil in a large saucepan (with a cover) over medium heat and cook garlic and onion until translucent. Add the wine and let cook for a couple of minutes to combine the flavors. Add the clams and clam juice (or water) and cover the pan for about 10 minutes until the clams open. Discard any clams that do not open and remove clams to serving bowls. Season the juices in the pan with salt and pepper to make a sauce. Pour the sauce and melted butter over the clams. Or serve sauce and melted butter separately for dipping.