The New England Clam Shack Cookbook, 2nd Edition

by Brooke Dojny

Overview

Part travelogue, part cookbook, this colorful collection captures the unique charm of New England’s seafood cuisine. Brooke Dojny takes you on a tour of family-owned and -operated clam shacks from Connecticut to Maine and offers dozens of simple recipes for rich and buttery lobster, fried clams, creamy chowders, and much more. Whether you’re looking to plan a tasty weekend road trip up the coast or host a backyard lobster bake, you’ll find everything you need in this deliciously salty collection. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612122397
Publisher:	Storey Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	05/15/2015
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	328,510
File size:	31 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Brooke Dojny is an award-winning food journalist and cookbook author who specializes in writing about New England food. She is the author of Chowderland, Lobster!, The New England Clam Shack Cookbook, and Dishing Up® Maine. Dojny writes regularly for the Portland Herald. She lives on the Blue Hill Peninsula in Maine.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Clam Shacks, Lobster Pounds, and Chowder Houses Defined

Clam shacks, lobster pounds, and chowder houses in New England evolved quite independently from one another, so defining and differentiating these three types of delightfully informal New England eateries requires a few words of explanation.

Different historical factors were at play as each type of establishment evolved, and, although there is sometimes a bit of overlap — for instance, some lobster pounds also have indoor dining rooms and expanded chowder house — type menus — there remain distinct features that can be observed and delineated.

Additionally, so that travelers "from away" (as non-Mainers are called in the Pine Tree State) are prepared for the rather arcane procedures involved in "in-the-rough" ordering and eating, instruction and tips are offered.

Finally, I suggest many ways that you can use this book. Use it as a travel guide, leading you to some of the best meals you'll ever eat, or use it as a cookbook, sparking culinary adventures without leaving home.

Clam Shacks

According to legend, it was a hot July day in Essex, Massachusetts, in 1916 when Lawrence "Chubby" Woodman invented the first fried clam by rolling a shucked whole-belly soft-shell clam in some crumbs and immersing it in the cauldron of hot oil he used for frying his fried potato chips. Eureka! Not only was this a stroke of culinary genius, but Chubby's timing was also impeccable. The booming twenties were around the corner, Henry Ford was gearing up his automobile assembly line, roads were being improved and paved — in short, America was on the move. And as America moved, it wanted a little something good to eat, and it wanted that something to be fast, convenient, inexpensive, and kind of fun. And so, over the course of the next two or three decades, summer clam shacks were born, dotting the roadsides like little white mushrooms.

Capitalizing on more reliable electric refrigeration, the perfection of efficient commercial deep fryers, and, in the late 1920s, the invention of sliced bread, clam shacks developed a look, style, and menu that was uniquely their own. Usually family owned and run, and relying on high-quality ingredients cooked and presented with the utmost simplicity, clam shacks embodied the best of the American democratic spirit by encouraging folks from all walks of life to shed any pretensions and to step up to the window, place an order, and consume the quickly cooked food "in the rough," either sitting at a communal picnic table or perched on the hood of their car. Whole-belly fried clams and other fried seafood, top-loaded seafood rolls, baked stuffed clams, clam fritters, fish sandwiches, hot dogs, and hamburgers, with sides of fries, onion rings, creamy coleslaw, and sometimes ice cream or home-baked goods for dessert — these were the typical clam shack offerings back in the twenties, thirties, and forties, and they remain so today.

Lobster Pounds

Americans began to go lobster crazy in the early part of the nineteenth century, and as early as about 1850, special vessels outfitted with chambers filled with fresh seawater were plying the waters between Boston and Maine, carrying the perishable crustaceans to market. The fact that lobsters had to be shipped alive meant that they needed to be impounded and kept alive while they waited to make the trip to market. Most of the earliest lobster "pounds" (the name is from the word impoundment) were constructed in coves with a narrow entry that could be gated to keep the creatures from escaping. As summer rusticators came to Maine in great numbers around the turn of the twentieth century, huge wood-fired cooking cauldrons were set up at the site of these coastal pounds so that visitors could buy their lobsters right from the source, watch them being cooked on the spot in the open air, and then settle down at an outdoor picnic table for a feast "in the rough." Now, of course, many pounds have moved inland along the tourist highways, but some remain in their original coastal locations — and many still have outdoor cookers, although most are fired these days with propane.

How to Eat in the Rough

Clam shacks and lobster pounds require that the customer be familiar with the informal "eat-in-the-rough" protocol.

HERE'S THE DRILL:

1. You stand at a counter or window and place your order, sometimes needing to yell it through all the commotion. At lobster pounds, you can specify the approximate poundage, and sometimes even choose the very live creature out of a tank.

2. The lobster is then stuck into a string bag — along with corn on the cob, steamers, or mussels, if you've ordered them — the bag goes in the cooker, and you sit down and wait until they call your name or number.

3. A few places have staff to deliver your meal, but usually you head back to the window to pick up your food, which will be presented on cardboard plates and with plastic forks.

4. Do your plastic bib and plan your attack. If you're a neophyte, watch a pro at a nearby table. Some pounds have "how-to" information printed on paper place mats. Lobsters from lobster pounds are almost always super fresh, right off the boat, and they're often boiled in seawater, which imparts additional flavor of the sea. All you need to add is a little melted butter for dipping — and maybe finish your feast with a slice of homemade pie — and you've found in-the-rough nirvana.

5. And don't forget to bus your trays.

Chowder Houses

Capitalizing on the abundance of fresh seafood in New England, informal year-round seafood restaurants date back to the nineteenth century in the region. For well over a century, these eateries have maintained a consistent, distinctive look and style, usually involving cheerful highly varnished wooden walls and booths, mounted fish gracing the walls, and nautical ephemera scattered around the room. Carried forward today by a new generation of traditionalists, these restaurants offer a refreshing and welcome respite from the too-too trendy, the cutting edge, and the ultra-chic — and, of course, they serve up some of the wonderful New England classics that never go out of style.

While clam shacks and lobster pounds are usually summer-only seasonal operations, chowder houses, most of which are found in New England's larger towns and cities, are almost always year-round full-service restaurants. There are also establishments that fall somewhere in between — seasonal restaurants that offer full service. Most of these eateries serve much or all of the fare you can get at a clam shack or lobster pound, along with such other New England seafood specialties as chowders (clam, fish, and mixed seafood) and seafood stews, all manner of broiled and fried fish plates, including swordfish, haddock, and mixed fried seafood, and, of course, some fabulous classic Yankee desserts.

Instructions for Using this Book

* This is, first and foremost, a cookbook. Cook your way through it. And as you're eating the fruits of your labor, close your eyes and summon up a vision of New England summer. You're picking apart a freshly boiled lobster at a picnic table overlooking pine tree isles, scarfing down a scallop roll as you lounge in a beach chair, or, on a rain-swept day, slurping clam chowder while seated cozily in a varnished wooden booth. It's summer again, and all's right with the world.

* Treat it as a travel guide. Plan a trip around the featured restaurants and taste the food right at the source. It's not unrealistic to try to cover the entire route — from Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale in Connecticut to Thurston's Lobster Pound in Bernard, Maine — in a two-week trip. Carry a copy of this book, make notes on the pages (you have permission!), and ask restaurant owners to sign your copy. Then come home and re-create the dishes you've tasted and relive the experience all over again.

* Narrow your radius to a single state or geographic area and incorporate some of the other suggested restaurants in More Stops Along the Way, taking as much time as you have.

* Focus on one of the Weekend Itineraries and enjoy exploring a smaller piece of New England in depth. Use these recommendations or listen to local folks who might have equally good (or better) advice (see Ask — Then Eat — Local). Carry a copy of the book with you. Who knows? You might be offered a bit of special treatment!

* Use these recommendations as the starting point for creating a personal clam shack life list. After input from local sources, follow your nose and your instincts, and begin your own adventure.

CHAPTER 2

Snacks, Appetizers, and First Courses

Clam shacks aren't the kind of establishment you'd choose for a leisurely, full-course meal, but they are certainly an excellent choice when you're in the mood for a speedy, satisfying snack. If you're in Rhode Island or southern Massachusetts, what could be better than a quick stop at your favorite clam shack for an order of clam cakes (fritters), piping hot, fresh from the fryer, or a couple of well-spiced "stuffies"? At a lobster pound, enjoying an appetizer-type nibble while you wait can add to the agreeable experience of eating "in the rough." An order of local crabmeat spread or a big bowl of briny steamers with broth and butter for dipping is just the right way to munch away the 20 minutes or so of lobster-cooking time. And settling in for a relaxed, unhurried meal — one that you anticipate will include several courses — is part of the blissful, laid-back gratification of eating at a chowder house or other full-service restaurant. If you're snug in your seat at a chowder house, how could you go wrong with garlicky bacon-topped clams casino or cheese-sauce-napped oysters Mornay or, for the more daring gastronomes among you, a serving of herb-seasoned, vegetable-flecked snail salad?

CHAMPLIN'S

Snail Salad

6 to 8 servings

You see more Mediterranean-influenced dishes on menus in Rhode Island than anywhere else in New England, no doubt because of the large Italian and Portuguese populations that have lived in the state for generations. This snail salad is a delicious case in point. These are large sea snails — sometimes called conch — that are boiled and chilled, and the flavorful meat is thinly sliced.

INGREDIENTS

* 4 cups thinly sliced cooked snail or conch (see Note)

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 2 teaspoons mixed Italian herb blend

• ½ cup finely diced carrots

• ½ cup finely chopped celery

• ½ cup finely chopped red onion

• ½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 large Boston lettuce leaves

• Lemon wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine the conch, olive oil, Italian herbs, carrots, celery, red onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Toss together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

2. Spoon the salad onto a bed of lettuce, garnish with lemon wedges, and serve.

Note: Champlin's restaurant buys their conch in cans, already sliced, from Rome Seafood in Boston. Champlin's retail seafood market under the restaurant often sells whole cooked snails, which you should slice paper thin before using.

Aunt Phyllis's Fabulous Famous Clam Fritters

Makes about 3 dozen fritters

Restaurants in Rhode Island and South Coast Massachusetts pump out clam fritters (also called "clam cakes") by the dozens and even the hundreds every day, so it would be impractical for most eateries to start with a from-scratch batter. Many places turned years ago to using one of the good-quality commercial fritter mixes that are made and sold in the region. (See One Batter Mix, Three Ways). But fritter batter is not all that easy to find in retail markets, so my friend Susan Maloney's aunt Phyllis Corcoran, from Fall River, Massachusetts, kindly shares her recipe for the fabulous fritters for which she's renowned.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 egg

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• ¾ cup clam juice (liquor drained from clams, bottled juice, or a combination)

• ¼ cup milk, whole or low-fat

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt, plus more if necessary

• 1 cup finely chopped drained hard-shell clams

• Vegetable oil for frying

• Malt or cider vinegar or lemon wedges

• Bottled hot sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and oil. Whisk in the clam juice and milk.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg mixture and stir in the clams. The batter should be the consistency of thick cake batter. Adjust by adding a little more flour or liquid as necessary.

3. In a large, deep frying pan, heat about 2 inches of oil to 370°F. Dip a teaspoon (see Note) in the oil to coat it, then spoon out one rounded spoonful of batter, slide it into the hot oil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once with tongs, until puffed and golden. Drain on paper towels. Taste this first fritter for seasoning, adding more salt to the batter if necessary. Continue to fry the fritters, a few at a time, until all the batter is used.

4. Serve with vinegar or lemon wedges and hot sauce.

Note: Aunt Phyllis uses a long-handled iced tea spoon to scoop out the batter. It keeps her hands from coming too close to the hot oil and also creates a nicely shaped and sized fritter.

CHOPMIST CHARLIE'S

Block Island Gold Nuggets with Charlie Sauce

4 servings

Block Island lies about 12 miles off the coast of the Rhode Island mainland. Swordfish is king on "the Block," where it has been hauled in by generations of fishermen from the deep Gulf Stream waters that run not far off the island. Always highly prized for its sweet, meaty flesh, these days swordfish is more scarce and pricier than ever — hence the designation of these crispy, succulent little nuggets as "Block Island gold." At Chopmist Charlie's in Jamestown, the appetizer is served with their famous Charlie Sauce — the perfect piquant dipping accompaniment.

INGREDIENTS

* Canola or peanut oil for frying

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend

• ½ cup pancake mix, such as Bisquick

• ½ cup milk or water

• 1 cup panko crumbs (see Notes)

• 1 pound trimmed and skinned swordfish, cut in 1½-inch cubes

• Lemon wedges

• Charlie Sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the nuggets, heat the oil over medium heat in a deep fryer or a deep skillet until it reaches 350°F (see Notes).

2. In one bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. In a second bowl, whisk together the pancake mix and milk until smooth. Place the crumbs in a third bowl. Dredge the swordfish in the flour and shake off the excess. Dip in the batter, let the excess drip off, and dredge in the crumbs.

3. Working with about one third of the fish at a time, slide the nuggets into the hot fat and fry until the crumbs are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

4. Serve with lemon wedges and the Charlie Sauce for dipping.

Notes: Panko crumbs are crisp Japanese-style breadcrumbs. As a substitute, use fresh white bread crumbs; dry them out in a 200-degree oven for about 30 minutes until crisp, and measure after drying. (See Mail-Order Sources)

If making only half a recipe of nuggets, you can shallow-fry the fish in ¼ to ¾ inch of oil (see Frying Basics).

Charlie Sauce

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup sour cream

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon liquid hot pepper sauce (see Note)

• 1 to 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

INSTRUCTIONS

For the sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce. Stir in the horseradish to taste. (The sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.)

Note: At Chopmist Charlie's, they use Tabasco.

Seahorse Tavern Noank, Connecticut

This place has everything going for it — great food, including fabulous renditions of local specialties, friendly service, reasonable prices, a funky bar with fish scales painted on the ceiling, and a slightly dressier dining room suitable for more special occasions. The Seahorse has no water views, but it's located smack in the middle of a marina, so you feel intimately connected to the salty Noank harbor scene. (In addition, a local artist has painted a mural on the dining room wall depicting the water view that you'd see if only the room had windows!) The Seahorse has been in the village of Noank in one form or another for more than 50 years, but it was recently purchased and spruced up by Bob Sader, a well-respected chef in these parts. Locals hang out here, businessmen make a beeline for lunch, and tourists search it out.

(Continues…)

---

Excerpted from "The New England Clam Shack Cookbook"
by .
Copyright © 2008 Brooke Dojny.
Excerpted by permission of Storey Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---

Table of Contents

Foreword by Susan Hermann Loomis

Preface: Traveling on My Stomach

Chapter 1: Clam Shacks, Lobster Pounds, and Chowder Houses Defined

Chapter 2: Snacks, Appetizers, and First Courses

Chapter 3: Yankee Chowders, Seafood Stews, and Soups

Chapter 4: Top-Loaded Seafood Rolls and Other Sandwiches

Chapter 5: Lobster, Clams, and Other Shellfish

Chapter 6: Fish Fried and Boiled, and One Great Grilled Chicken

Chapter 7: One-Dish Seafood Wonders

Chapter 8: Traditional Accompaniments

Chapter 9: Best of the Best Old-Fashioned Yankee Desserts

Appendixes: Weekend Itineraries; More Stops Along the Way; Geographic Listing of Profiled Clam Shacks, Lobster Pounds, and Chowder Houses; Geographic Listing of Weekend Itineraries Stops; Resources

Index

Editorial Reviews

If you love seafood, this is the book for you. Part cookbook, part restaurant guide, this book is chock full of New England lore. As a travelogue, Dojny captures the essence of New England with behind-the-scene stories of the men and women who make the region unforgettable. Added bonus: Three weekend itineraries each focused on eating. Yum!”

Epicurious.com

“If you’re…dreaming of a vacation on New England coast, this book will help make your dreams come true…You can almost smell the sea air as you read this combination travel book, restaurant guide, culinary history book and cookbook.”

Akron Beacon-Journal

From the Publisher