recipe reviews for:

Clam Bake

“This is the most fun you can have with your seafood. It started with the idea of a fun get-together clam bake then took off with a life of its own. This recipe is a general guide. Have fun, mix and match your favorite seafood. I would ask your fish monger what is fresh, and then decide what seafood to add. I've even added a whole octopus before. Serve with a nice white wine, turn on some music and have fun. Great outdoor meal.”

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Reviewed: Apr. 16, 2012

I haven't tried this version, but I certainly will! Here in NC we call them Low Country Boils. Basically the same thing. I start with a huge stock pot, add 2 thinly sliced lemons and and onion cut in wedges. I add lots of Old Bay Lemon & Herb and Garilc & Herb. I always add the potatoes first, as they take the longest to cook. Then half ears of frozen corn on the cob. I add the ingredients according to the cooking time. Beef sausage, oysters, clams and shrimp. Strain and dump onto a newspaper covered table (or a table cloth with a few folded towels). Bowls of melted butter and cocktail sauce all around. We usually serve with hush puppies. Eat it all with your fingers! Have plenty of paper towels on hand. LOVE, love, LOVE the clams and the NC oysters!

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Susie T

Reviewed: Dec. 5, 2010

Very good! Turned out perfect! Husband even liked.

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nikki

Reviewed: Nov. 2, 2010

Due to the season, I couldn't find fresh mussels, but I did the bake anyway! Turned out so good, and amazing broth left over! I like things spicy, so after I served myself, I added some fresh red pepper flakes and black pepper, which added a nice flare. In the bake, I also put chucks on onion and whole garlic cloves, which everyone loved. I'm looking forward to doing this more when summer comes around again!

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Reviewer:

MonicaJLT

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Seattle, Washington, USA

Reviewed: Jul. 4, 2010

Couldn't get any more delicious or easy! I took a large stockpot, put the red potatoes on bottom, a layer of clams, layer of mussels, and then snow crab legs instead of the shrimp. We also put a banana leaf on top for steaming (can also use seaweed). We added the entire 48 oz of chicken stock and a bottle of beer instead of vermouth. After sealing tightly, we followed the recipe's instructions for 45 minutes on Med-low (after bringing to a boil). We also included Old Bay Seasoning I was afraid the seafood would be overdone, but it wasn't. Excellent- especially the snow crab! A nice surprise was how delicious and soft the red potatoes came out. The skin had a lovely taste and the insides were creamy. We're already planning our next one, with a bigger pot and more seafood :).

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11 users found this review helpful

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NESSER79

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Naples, Florida, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 9, 2010

Very good recipe, and impressive to serve guests!

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Reviewer:

Joanne

Reviewed: Feb. 22, 2010

Fantastic! Can't stop making it! We use clams, mussles, shrimp, mushrooms (2 or more kinds) and potatoes.

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7 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

FlashJ

Reviewed: Oct. 18, 2009

This was tasty. Super easy to make. I will make this again, but I will reduce the cooking time. The seafood was a bit over done. I prefer my seafood very lightly cooked. I did use Manilla Clams, Mussles and Oysters for this dish. Right before the dish was done, I added some sea scallops. Next time I will also add some herbs and a bit of spice. Overall, this was a great recipe.

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3 users found this review helpful

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PDXWine

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Aug. 25, 2009

My family had the best time preparing and feasting on this meal. We gathered together from all over the country to celebrate out mother's 60th birthday. We filled up a huge pot with potatoes, corn, sausage, shrimp, clams, mussels and lobster tails. We did layer seaweed in bottom of pot and in between some layers to avoid scorching. We used a mix of chicken broth and white wine as well as chopped garlic, sea salt and old bay seasoning. We steamed it over our firepit for about 45-60 minutes. We put brown paper on a large table outside and poured the contents of the pot on the table. Everyone just gathered around the table and feasted on the food as they liked. It was so delicious and fun we decided it was going to be our 1st annual clam bake to be repeated every summer. We may change the order of placement of seafood because the shrimp and mussels did get a little over done. Also be careful how much liquid you use. You don't really want the seafood floating in it. We may change a few things next time but I would recommend trying this for a fun and different meal. Thanks for the post.

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MImom

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Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Bay City, Michigan, USA

Living In: Linden, Michigan, USA

Reviewed: Aug. 25, 2009

I would give this four stars as written - it's as simple as can be for a no-fuss easy one-pot meal. For our personal preference, next time I will probably leave out the potatoes - with the corn and yummy seafood, no one in my family even touched the potatoes. Also, I will double the clams and mussels. I used seafood stock (all I had) and added a quarter of a lemon and a few cloves of garlic to the broth while cooking. I also cooked this a bit differently since I didn't want the seafood coming out tough or rubbery. I started with par-boiling my potatoes in salted water. Then I dumped out the water and added the corn to the potatoes and the broth and my additions of lemon and garlic. I cooked these for about 5 minutes. I added the clams in a single layer on top of the corn and potatoes and steamed for eight minutes. Pulled them out. Added the mussels in a single layer for 8 mintues. Pulled them out and added the shrimp for a few minutes until cooked through (maybe 5 minutes?). Then I put the clams and mussels back into the pot and served with crusty french bread and melted butter. The broth was fabulous and the seafood was just right (not tough and rubbery or shriveled). I will definitely make it again.

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Reviewer:

valerie160

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Springfield, Virginia, USA

Living In: Ashburn, Virginia, USA

Reviewed: Aug. 10, 2009

This is a GREAT recipe. I've made it twice now. The first time I made it the broth had no flavor, so I changed it a little bit this time(I hate when people do this, but...)by using a bottle of beer with the chicken broth, a bag of mccormick's shrimp boil seasoning, a head of garlic, a few onions, and adding kielbasy and corn to the mix. The broth was PERFECT for dipping with bread. This is the perfect summer one pot meal!

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26 users found this review helpful